Cabinet Clears Major Upgrade in Rice Quality Under PMGKAY

New Delhi, July 2, 2026 Strengthening food security is not only about ensuring uninterrupted access to food but also about improving the quality of what reaches beneficiaries. In a significant policy move, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved revised quality standards for rice supplied under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare programmes. The revision, the first of its kind in nearly three decades under the Public Distribution System (PDS), will enable more than 80 crore beneficiaries to receive rice with fewer broken grains while keeping their existing ration entitlement unchanged. Under the revised norms, the permissible limit of broken grains in raw rice has been reduced from 25% to 10%, while for parboiled rice it has been lowered from 16% to 5%. Procurement of higher-quality rice will begin immediately and will be introduced in phases across all procuring states up to the Kharif Marketing Season 2027–28. Distribution will also follow a phased rollout to ensure smooth implementation nationwide. The government said the objective is to provide visually better, more wholesome rice without reducing the quantity supplied to beneficiaries. The new framework also focuses on improving the utilisation of food resources. Broken rice separated during milling will be diverted for industrial and other productive purposes, ensuring that only better-quality edible rice reaches households. The Centre estimates that the reform will save nearly ₹2,161 crore every year through lower transportation, storage and maintenance costs. Additional savings are expected from auctioning broken rice directly from mills and replacing jute bags with HDPE bags, while the sale of broken rice is likely to generate extra revenue and help reduce the food subsidy burden. Before its nationwide rollout, the system was successfully tested through pilot projects in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, demonstrating its operational feasibility on a large scale. To further improve accountability, QR codes will be placed on rice bags, allowing end-to-end monitoring of the supply chain. The government believes these measures will strengthen transparency, improve inventory management and help curb irregularities, making the public distribution system more efficient and reliable.