Manipur, June 30 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the eve of unlock-2, announced extension of free ration for over 80 crore people in the country under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), till this November end.

The PMGKAY was launched in April for three months amid the nationwide lockdown announced to help contain COVID-19 spread.

In his sixth televised address to the nation since the pandemic, the prime minister announced the extension of PMGKAY by five more months and said that over Rs 90,000 crore will be spent on the extension of the programme. He also said that if the last three months expenditure on account of the free ration scheme is added then the total budget will be about Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

Modi...