Bhubaneswar, Jul 5 (IANS): About 3.24 crore people affected due to prevailing Covid-19 pandemic will get free foodgrains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojanaa-IV (PMGKAY-IV), an official said here on Monday.

They will get free food grains for a period of five months, from July to November, 2021, said Food Corporation of India (FCI), Odisha Region, General Manager, Nishith Kumar Pradhan.

As part of the scheme, food grains at a scale of 5 kg per person per month will be provided to all the eligible beneficiaries over and above the regular monthly entitlements under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), he said.

"The Government of India will bear the entire expenditure covering the cost of foodgrains that is cost of its procurement, storage and transportation as well as distribution. In this process, the Centre will spend Rs 39 per kg for rice and Rs 28 per kg for wheat," Pradhan said.

Stating that lifting of foodgrains under the scheme has already been stated in Odisha, he said, approximately, 1.08 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and 7.03 lakh metric tonnes of rice have been allotted for Odisha under the Central scheme.

The Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) Ltd will lift the allotment from central pool stocks and FCI depots, and distribute it to the beneficiaries. The entire cost of the foodgrains which comes to around Rs 3,044 crore for Odisha will be borne by the Centre under the scheme, he further said.

"FCI Odisha is fully prepared to meet the requirement of the state under PMGKAY-IV for which foodgrains have to be lifted by October 31, 2021. FCI Odisha has already positioned sufficient foodgrains in all its depots for successful implementation of the scheme and started supplying foodgrains to state agency for lifting," Pradhan added.

Under the PMGKAY-III which was announced for May-June 2021, 43,000 MT of wheat and 2.82 lakh MT of rice was allotted for the state. The Union government has spent about Rs 1,220 crore for extending the benefits to the people of Odisha.