NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday approved the ‘Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling–Income with Automation in PDS’ (Sarthak-PDS), a major initiative aimed at modernising and strengthening India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) over the next five years.
According to Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw, the scheme was cleared at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the same will be implemented from April 2026 to March 2031 with a Central outlay of Rs 25,530 crore.
The Minister said the scheme is designed to improve the delivery of food grains to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the country’s mega food security network.
Calling India’s food security programme the largest in the world, Vaishnaw said the initiative has become a global example of inclusive growth and welfare delivery. He added that the new scheme would strengthen the system responsible for implementing the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and other food distribution programmes.
The Sarthak-PDS scheme seeks to support state governments in transporting food grains from Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses to districts and fair price shops, while also introducing technology-driven reforms across the ration distribution chain.
Vaishnaw said many state agencies had struggled with the high cost of moving food grains within states. Under the new programme, the Centre will provide financial assistance for intra-state transportation and handling, reducing the burden on state governments and improving supply chain efficiency.
The scheme also introduces three technology-focused components, including Nirmal, Asha and Saksham, which are aimed at improving transparency, beneficiary targeting and monitoring. Under the ‘Nirmal’ component, the government plans to create a technology-enabled beneficiary registry to ensure that ration benefits reach eligible recipients. The minister said advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, would be used to identify genuine beneficiaries and eliminate leakages in the system. The initiative will also involve coordination between multiple ministries and departments.
The second pillar, ‘Asha’, will function as an AI-enabled grievance redressal and feedback platform. According to Vaishnaw, nearly two lakh calls are already being made every month to beneficiaries to proactively gather feedback on the functioning of the ration distribution system. The government expects the platform to improve accountability and responsiveness.
The third component, ‘Saksham’, focuses on end-to-end digitisation and tracking of the food grain supply chain. Every food grain bag will be assigned a QR code, while vehicles transporting grains will be GPS-enabled for real-time monitoring. Dedicated digital dashboards will also be developed to track movement and distribution, helping authorities detect delays and improve efficiency.
Vaishnaw said technology interventions introduced over the past decade, in partnership with state governments, had already improved the functioning of the PDS. The Sarthak-PDS scheme, he added, would further modernise the system and strengthen food security delivery for millions of households across the country.