The Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana, also known as PMGKY, was launched in 2016. The Government of India launched it as a part of the Taxation Laws Act of 2016. This law was passed after the second amendment.
The PMGKY came into effect on December 17 2016, under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. This law allows the individual to deposit money that has not been taxed. According to this scheme, 50% of the untaxed money must be paid.
The project helps you secretly declare the unaccounted wealth. It also enables you to avoid prosecution by paying a fine of 50% on the undeclared amount. The respectable Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, along with other ministers from the Finance department, brought this scheme under the limelight.
What is the Purpose of Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana?
The PMGKY scheme provides a safe and secure environment for citizens to declare their unaccounted wealth confidentially. Therefore, you can get all your accumulated money without getting into unnecessary trouble.
It also safeguards you from the prosecution process if you agree to pay a fine. The fine, in this case, is 50% of the undisclosed income. And if you decide to contribute an additional 25% of the undisclosed income in this scheme. Then it will be considered an investment which will be given back to you at the end of four years, without incurring any interest rate.
Initially, the PMGKY was valid from December 16, 2016, to March 31, 2017. But later on, it was extended till June 2020. It is to ensure that ample time is given to the country’s citizens, which will help them understand the scheme and enrol themselves on this project.
Mission and Vision of Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana?
The Mission and Vision of Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana are as follows. 1. The PMGKY scheme promises to provide every health worker coverage worth 50 lakhs if the health worker is affected by COVID-19.
2. The PMGKYY also promises to provide free-of-cost resources to less privileged people. A beneficiary is entitled to 5kg of wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred lentils for the next three months starting from March 2020.
3. As per the scheme, the PMGKY aims to nourish 80 poor people so that people don’t have to suffer from malnutrition or hunger.
4. According to the official reports, 20 crore women Jan Dhan Account holders will receive Rs 500 for the next three months. This will ensure that the people from the lower section of society will have at least some cash every month.
5. The central Government of India also issued an order to all the state governing bodies. In that order, it was clearly stated that the construction Welfare Fund is to be spent on the construction workers to provide them financial support.
What are the Eligibility Criteria For Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana?
● People who make less than 15,000 rupees per month are eligible to avail of the benefits of this scheme.
● The Government has launched a unified portal that is updated continuously. This is to help the employees availing all the benefits of the scheme.
How Can You Enrol on Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana?
The enrolment procedure for the PMGKY includes some quick and straightforward steps. Let’s take a look at the following.
1. The applicant needs to open up a Jan Dhan Account in any bank of his choice, but the applicant should remember that whatever bank he chooses to go with should be legally authorised by the Reserve Bank of India.
2. The following process includes providing personal documents and income documents. Once the verification is over, the applicant will be eligible to avail of the benefits of the PMGKY scheme.
What are the Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana?
Now let’s look at the benefits you can avail yourself of if you become a part of the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana.
1. Health Insurance Worth Rs 50 Lakhs will be provided to all the health workers who work in government hospitals and health care centres. This health insurance is a token of appreciation for their service in fighting against covid-19.
2. Health workers include word-boy nurses, ASHA workers, Medical Technicians, paramedics, safai karamcharis, doctors, and specialists. People from this profession worldwide will be able to enjoy the benefits of this scheme.
3. This scheme also promises free rationing for the next three months. As per the reports, the Government aims to provide food supplies for almost 80 crores. The PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana also promises to nourish all the covid affected families who come under the BPL.
4. Another groundbreaking step that the Government took to support this PMGKY is to make LPG cylinders free of cost to the BPL families during the initial days of the pandemic. On behalf of the Government, the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, promises to provide LPG cylinders free of cost to all the BLF for the next three months starting from March 26 2020.
5. The Government also promised to raise the MNREGA wage rate. The current rate is 202 rupees per day. It is estimated that almost 13.62 crore families will benefit from this initiative.
The Salient Features of Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana
The Salient Features of PMGKY are as follows.
● The scheme promises to provide monthly allowances to three crore poor widows. It also promises to provide monetary support to the people who come under the Divyang category. A total of 1000 rupees will be given to them.
● The bread earner who makes less than 15,000 per month, then 24% of their monthly wage will be directly transferred to their respective provident fund account.
● Over 20.40 crore female policyholders’ accounts will be credited 500 rupees for the next three months.
● On March 25, 2020, the Indian Union Minister Nirmala Sitaraman declared a relief package worth rupees 1 70 0000 crores for the poor and the migrant labourers.
● The relief package includes important provisions like food and financial subsidiaries that will be distributed among the various sections of the society.
● This yojana aims to contribute to financially weaker families by giving them pulses at an affordable rate.
● The Government aims to provide relief to the people of the country during times of such deadly circumstances.
How can we Spread Awareness Among Common People Regarding Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana?
● The use of mass media can be a great idea to spread awareness among the masses. It is also essential that you use a proper communication medium to transmit the message from the sender to the receiver without any disturbances.
● Traditional forms of media like radio, television and newspapers remain the best option for connecting with the rural and urban masses. Thus heavy stress should be laid on the use of these media forms.
● Besides this, the Government can also connect with the masses over the interment. Especially after the pandemic when everything becomes online. The use of social media platforms can be a good idea. This way, you will be able to reach out to a larger group of audience.
Conclusion
The Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana was a significant relief for the people during the pandemic. People in India also went through various problems. Issues like unemployment and no financial security were rising day by day.
But with the help of progressive measures taken by the Government, the country was able to face the challenges with a brave face. There is no doubt that the PMGKY scheme helped underprivileged families to deal with hard times. They were able to survive through the pandemic because of this scheme.
As promised, the scheme provides all types of support to the people so that they can fight against the deadly situation. The main objective of the PMGKY scheme is to provide all-around security to the cities of this country.