India says it will provide free food grains to over 800 million poor for a year

India will provide food grains for free to more than 813 million poor people for a year at a cost of 2 trillion rupees ($24.2 billion), India's commerce minister said on Friday. The scheme would run till December 2023, Piyush Goyal, the commerce minister, said at a news briefing.

India will provide food grains for free to more than 813 million poor people for a year at a cost of 2 trillion rupees ($24.2 billion), India's commerce minister said on Friday.

The scheme would run till December 2023, Piyush Goyal, the commerce minister, said at a news briefing. The programme merges two scheme, including one started in 2020 during the height of COVID-19 pandemic, under which the government was providing free or subsidised food grains to the poor, Goyal added. ($1 = 82.7800 Indian rupees)