Is the scheme really everything it is being made out to be--the answer to all India's food insecurity and nutritional needs?
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has been extended for five years with much fanfare. Is the scheme really everything it is being made out to be--the answer to all India's food insecurity and nutritional needs? Or is it something that is much-needed, but only a step towards ensuring healthy meals are available to all. NewsClick asks Prof Dipa Sinha, who teaches at Ambedkar University Delhi and is actively engaged with the Right to Food Campaign, what the scheme entails and what remains to be done. She also responds to some of the most common criticisms of this scheme, and explains why most critics are still getting food distribution schemes only partly right, if not completely wrong.