<span style="color: #222222;">The Centre on Wednesday said that it has released 2,94,718 crore rupees as Food Subsidy to Food Corporation of India and State Governments under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana- PMGKAY and National Food Security Act in 2021-22. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in a statement said that this release of food subsidy is about 140 percent of the Food Subsidy released during 2020-21 and about 267 per cent of the Food Subsidy released during 2019-20. A total of 1,175 Lakh Metric Tonnes of foodgrain that include procurement of Wheat during the Rabi Marketing Season 2021-22 and Paddy in Kharif Marketing Season 2021-22 has been achieved.<br />''<br />''Under it a direct payment of 2.31 lakh crore rupees as Minimum Support Price has been made benefitting more than 154 lakh farmers. It added that procurement of wheat has recently commenced in Rabi Marketing Season 2022-23 in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and the Department is taking all required steps in this regard. The Ministry said, Government of India has made a number of schematic interventions in order to support the sugar industry and extended financial assistance to sugar mills thereby clearing cane dues of farmers.</span><br />