ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA (AAY)

Objectives

Salient features

• Ensure food security and create hunger-free India. 
• Covers the poorest of the poor in India by supply of food and other important commodities for their daily needs at subsidised rates.

• Ministry: Ministry of Consumers Affairs Food and Public Distribution System
• Launch year: 2000
• Beneficiary:  AAY ration card holders
  • States/UTs identify the households under AAY and issue ration cards to eligible households.
• Intended benefits: AAY households receive-
  • 35 kg of food grains per family per month free of cost under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a period of 5 years with effect from 1st January, 2024.
    • PMGKAY subsumed National Food Security Act (NFSA) and PMGKAY launched during COVID-19 outbreak.
  • 1 kg of sugar per family per month through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
• Eligibility Criteria: Initially launched for one crore poorest of the poor families, then expanded coverage thrice to include-
  • Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers
  • Rural artisans/craftsmen, such as potters, tanners, weavers, etc.
  • Slum dwellers 
  • Persons earning livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like- porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, etc.
  • Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons/disabled persons/ persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support.
  • All primitive tribal households. 
  • All eligible Below Poverty Line (BPL) families of HIV positive persons.
• Responsibility of Centre and State: 
  • For food grain distribution: The Central Government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), is responsible for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments.
    • Operational responsibility including allocation within State, identification of eligible families, issue of Ration Cards etc., rest with the State Governments. 
    • Additional cost of making food grains free-of-cost to be borne by Central Government.
  • For sugar subsidy: Central Government gives subsidy of Rs.18.50 per kg per month of sugar to AAY families of participating States. 
    • States/UTs bear the distribution cost, including margin to dealers and retailers as well as the transportation cost.