Published October 30, 2026 | Version CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0
Journal article Open

Ration, Relief and Rural Life: An Ethnographic Study of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in Rural Uttar Pradesh

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Research Scholar, Department of Lifelong Learning & Extension, Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj University, Kanpur, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), India.

Contributors

Contact person:

  • 1. Research Scholar, Department of Lifelong Learning & Extension, Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj University, Kanpur, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), India.
  • 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Lifelong Learning & Extension, Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj University, Kanpur, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), India.

Description

Abstract: The Government of India’s comprehensive approach to strengthening healthcare infrastructure and addressing related challenges is reflected in various initiatives and policies. Poverty and hunger are widespread issues in India, and tackling such complex problems poses a significant challenge for the government. However, the government has, from time to time, enacted different policies to address these deep-rooted problems. This research paper will conduct a sociological analysis of one such government policy, the “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana”, examining its impact on rural populations, its effects on rural society and development, and whether it truly benefits rural populations. The scheme was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the virus spread across the country and the government imposed a ‘lockdown’ to contain its impact. The Government of India announced a nationwide lockdown on March 25, 2020. The lockdown created several issues for the public, particularly the rural population, who relied on small incomes, were hit hard, and now faced a new round of hardships. Therefore, the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched this scheme in April 2020, under which the destitute, daily-wage labourers, and the poor receive free food grains. In this scheme, 800 million people received free food grains. This scheme has evolved and has become more than a policy measure; it is a lifeline for this vulnerable part of society.

Files

C190913031126.pdf

Files (493.4 kB)

Name Size
md5:83ca19d3da3baaf4a8d56b5034922cc6
493.4 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.35940/ijmh.C1909.13031126
EISSN
2394-0913

Dates

Accepted
2026-10-15
Manuscript received on 02 October 2026 | Revised Manuscript received on 07 October 2026 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 October 2026 | Manuscript published on 30 October 2026.

References

  • United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024. https://population.un.org/wpp/ (2024). Accessed 18 October 2026.
  • Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India. Supply of free ration to the poor. Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 78, answered on 2 February 2024. https://rsdebate.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/747244/1/PQ_263_020220 24_U78_p294_p295.pdf
  • Bhuyan, N. COVID crisis and attempts at labour management in India. Int. J. Manag. 11(10), 1975–1980 (2020). https://ssrn.com/abstract=3743243
  • Drèze, J. & Somanchi, A. The Covid-19 crisis and people's right to food—Preprint at SocArXiv https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/library/resource/the-covid-19-crisis-andpeoples-right-to-food/ (2021).
  • Government of India, Prime Minister's Office. Free foodgrains for 81.35 crore beneficiaries for five years: Cabinet decision. https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/free-foodgrains-for-81- 35-crore-beneficiaries-for-five-years-cabinet-decision/ (2023).
  • Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). 81.35 crore people to continue getting free foodgrains: Govt. https://ianslive.in/8135-crore-people-tocontinue-getting-free-food-grains-till-2024--20250313180903 (13 March 2025).
  • Sonkar, V. K., Bathla, S. & Kumar, A. Impact of national lockdown on rural households' income: empirical evidence from eastern India. Econ. Polit. Wkly. 57(1), 58–64 (2022). https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/1/special-articles/impact-nationallockdown-rural-households-income.html
  • Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Increased foodgrain production in India: six-fold rise in foodgrain production since independence. AKAM Series #4. https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/j ul/doc202272874801.pdf (28 July 2022).
  • Akanksha & Kumar, N. Populist politics and policies: welfare populism in India. In Encyclopedia of New Populism and Responses in the 21st Century (eds. Chacko Chennattuserry, J., Deshpande, M. & Hong, P.) (Springer, 2024). DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-9859-0_399-1
  • von Grebmer, K. et al. 2023 Global Hunger Index: The Power of Youth in Shaping Food Systems (Welthungerhilfe & Concern Worldwide, 2023). https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ Accessed 18 October 2026.
  • P, A. P., Jha, C. K. & Chandran, V. 'Bharat Rice': fighting food inflation or a populist policy? Preprint at SSRN. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.5077350 (2024).
  • Ramachandran, V. K. Elections 2024 and rural India. Rev. Agrar. Stud. 14(1), 1–3 (2024). DOI: 10.25003/RAS.14.01.0001
  • Travasso, S. M. et al. Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on household diet diversity in rural Bihar, India: a longitudinal survey. Nutr. J. 22, 13 (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12937-023-00842-z
  • Lowe, M., Nadhanael, G. V. & Roth, B. N. India's food supply chain during the pandemic: Food Policy 105, 102162 (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102162
  • Sawant, H. S. An empirical analysis of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) with special reference to Sangli district. Int. J. Innov. Sci. Res. Technol. (2023). https://www.ijisrt.com/an-empiricalanalysis-of-pradhan-mantri-garib-kalyan-anna-yojana-pmgkay-withspecial-reference-to-sangli-district
  • Tyagi, K. K., Aziza, C. & Singh, V. P. Role of government programmes and schemes in eradication of poverty in India. In Creating Pathways for Prosperity, 33–44 (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024). DOI: 10.1108/978-1-83549-121-820241004
  • Nanda, A. Tackling poverty through feminisation of welfare schemes. Indian J. Public Adm. 70(4), 901–907 (2024). DOI: 10.1177/00195561241248123
  • Homans, G. C. Social behaviour as exchange. Am. J. Sociol. 63, 597– 606 (1958). DOI: 10.1086/222355; works remain significant; see the declaration
  • Homans, G. C. The Human Group (Harcourt, Brace, 1950). Overview available at https://infed.org/mobi/?p=568
  • Homans, G. C. Social Behaviour: Its Elementary Forms (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961). https://casbs.stanford.edu/social-behavior-itselementary-forms, works remain significant; see the declaration
  • Kumar, A., Saroj, S., Mishra, A. & Rashid, S. Government transfers, COVID-19 shock, and food insecurity: evidence from rural households in India. Paper presented at the IAAE 2021 Conference (virtual, 17–31 August 2021). DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.315069
  • Dar, V., Sethi, M., Baby, S., Kumar, S. D. & Shrinivas, R. Revisiting the food security system in India in the pandemic era: the case of a Southern Indian state. Int. J. Soc. Econ. 49, 489–508 (2022). DOI: 10.1108/IJSE-06-2021-0334