INTRODUCTION
Government has always been concerned to reduce the poverty of citizens of India by launching some schemes for them. With the same purpose to reduce hunger among India’s Below Poverty Line (BPL) population, Indian Government launched Antyodaya Anna Yojna .Shri Shanta Kumar, Food and civil supplies minister in 2020 developed Antyodaya Anna Yojna and NDA Government launched this scheme in 25th Dec 2020.
Government of India launched this scheme to eliminate hunger of people below poverty line by providing them with highly subsidized food.With the introduction of this scheme Government provides an opportunity to poor families to purchase 30Kgs of wheat and rice at a highly subsidized cost of Rs.2 per kg wheat and Rs.3 per kg of rice.
Who are Eligible for Antyodaya Anna Yojna:-
To obtain the benefits of this scheme every BPL family has to fulfill the eligibility criteria of Antyodaya Anna Yojna.Following are the eligibility criteria for availing the benefits of this scheme :-
1.Annual income of family less than or equal to 15000.00 can apply for this scheme.
2.To avail the benefits of this scheme every family member must be identified as below the poverty line.
3.An old age pensioner of 60 years who takes care of their family is eligible for this scheme.
4.All primitive communities in rural areas and mountains are eligible to get the benefits of Antyodaya Anna Yojna.
5.A Physically or mentally retarded person can also avail the benefits of this scheme.
6.A destitute widow may also avail the benefits of this scheme.
Documents required for eligibility verification for AAY:-
In Urban area an eligible beneficiary needs to approach the Urban Development Department , but in Rural area beneficiary needs to visit Gram sabha for the application . Following are the required documents to apply for AAY:-
1.Income certificate of the head of the family.
2.BPL certificate.
3.Affidavit to confirm that the beneficiary does not hold any ration card.
AAY Card
AAY card is issued to every person who is eligible for Antyodaya Anna Yojna,through which they can get food at highly subsidized rate.A person would not apply for the subsidies without AAY card.An individual can generally obtain AAY card by submitting an application with required documents as mentioned above at Urban Development Department in urban areas and at Gram sabha at rural areas.
Consequently this scheme aims to eradicate the hunger of poorest of poor Indian families and has covered more than 3 crores hosehold in India.
OBJECTIVES OF ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJNA: –
To Strengthen the TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System), Government of India launched this scheme.Its primary objectives are: –
Developing a hunger free surroundings in most poverty stricken areas.
Popularization and strengthening of TPDS
Creation of food security for the BPL population of India.
Maintaining subsidized prices for basic food grains
Payment for distribution and transportation costs of the food grains from government funds.
Improving access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilitie for all beneficiaries.
Benefits of Antyodaya Anna Yojna:-
This scheme has become a blessing for poor families who fall under BPL as it meets their basic food requirement at a very affordable price.It has reduced malnutrition and death by hunger among children of very poor families. This scheme has also created employment opportunity for woman from poorer community by engaging them in its implementation.
Antyodaya Anna Yojna 2023 State wise list:-
The list of States and Union territories where Antyodaya Anna Yojna is currently being run:-
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala ,Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha,Punjab,Rajasthan,Sikkim,Tamilnadu,Telangana,Tripura,Uttar Pradesh,Uttarakhand, West Bengal.
In short this mission is fully operational in all states and territories of India except Nagaland & Manipur.
Important Features of Antyodaya Anna yojna:-
Following are some salient features of AAY:-
1.Special Ration card ie AAY card:-
Officials identify beneficiary of AAY schemes with survey and Government provides ration card to identified beneficiaries .Identification of beneficiaries are also based on their application and approval of the same. These cards differ from state to state. People holding this special AAY card can avail the benefits of Antyodaya Anna Yojna.
2.Subsidised Food costs:-
Through this scheme food and other commodities are provided to all beneficiaries at highly subsidized rate.Subsidised rate of rice under this scheme is ₹3 per Kg, wheat rate is ₹2 per Kg , other coarse grain is ₹ 1 per Kg, Sugar rate is ₹18.5 per Kg.
3.Allocation Limits :- The quantity of food grains was initially fixed by Government of India under this scheme. Earlier this limit was 25 Kg per AAY family , later it is increased to 35Kg per family. The authority roughly allocates 8.51Lakh tons of food grain every month to meet some basic requirement of Antyodaya Anna Yojna.
Individual may collect further informatin regarding this scheme by visiting the following link:
Conclusion:-
By launching Antyodaya Anna Yojna , Government of India has made a successful and honest effort to eliminate hunger from this nation. This scheme has provided Poor families with food items like wheat, rice , sugar, edible oil etc at a subsidised rate, thereby improving their standard of living.Consequently this scheme has benefitted a lot of people who are struggling to get two times food daily for their family. Antyodaya Anna Scheme is on Progressive path to achieved its desired goal of providing food to BPL families.The government is trying to provide more grains as well as other basic food items under this scheme.
