Write Short note on Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).

Antyodaya Anna Yojana is a scheme launched by the government of India on 25^th December 2000 to alleviate the poverty level of India. It aims to provide highly subsidized food to millions of the poorest families. It was first implemented in the state of Rajasthan. It identifies the poor families according to the poverty line of India and various extensive surveys. It provides them with a unique "Antyodaya Ration Card" or “PDS yellow card”. The colour of the card is green. This card act as an identifier of eligibility for Antyodaya Anna Yojana. After identification, the government began providing them with an opportunity to purchase up to 37 kilograms of rice and wheat at a highly subsidized cost of three rupees per kg of rice and two rupees per kg of wheat. This scheme covered up to 20,000,000 poor families in 2004.