SYLLABUS

GS-2: Issues relating to Poverty and Hunger; Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the Population by the Centre and States and the Performance of these Schemes. 

Context: The Union Cabinet recently approved the SARTHAK-PDS scheme to modernise and strengthen India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) through technology-driven reforms, improved logistics, and enhanced support for Fair Price Shops (FPSs). 

About SARTHAK-PDS

• SARTHAK-PDS (Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling–Income with Automation in PDS) is an umbrella scheme approved to modernise India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) and strengthen implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. 

• The scheme has an outlay of ₹25,530 crore and will be implemented from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031 and aligns with the broader objective of improving food security, transparency, and last-mile delivery efficiency. 

• The scheme merges the two ongoing schemes: 

• Assistance to State Agencies for intra-State movement of foodgrains and FPS dealers’ margin under NFSA, and
• Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART PDS) 

• It seeks to create a smart, accountable, reliable, transparent, and technology-driven PDS ecosystem for nearly 80 crore beneficiaries through improved logistics, automation, and digital governance. 

• Key Features: 

• The Scheme aims to provide – 

              assured financial support for intra-State movement, handling and FPS dealer’s margin, and 

              a unified, citizen-centric, intelligent and interoperable PDS architecture that ensures last-mile service delivery, minimizes leakages and strengthens the nation’s commitment to food security under NFSA. 

• The scheme emphasises the adoption of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Blockchain for beneficiary management, foodgrain tracking, demand forecasting, route optimisation, grievance redressal, and reduction of leakages in the PDS network. 
• It proposes unified databases, State Command and Control Centres, real-time analytics systems, GPS-enabled vehicle tracking, and interoperable digital platforms for end-to-end monitoring of foodgrain movement and distribution. 

Significance of the Scheme

• Strengthening Food Security: The scheme aims to improve the efficiency and reliability of India’s food security architecture, benefiting nearly 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries. 

• Reducing Leakages and Corruption: Technology-enabled tracking, beneficiary verification, and digital monitoring can reduce diversion of foodgrains and improve transparency in the PDS network. 

• Improving Last-Mile Delivery: Enhanced support to FPS dealers and better logistics infrastructure can strengthen last-mile delivery, particularly in rural and remote regions. 

• Advancing Digital Governance: Adoption of AI and digital systems reflects the growing use of technology-driven governance for welfare delivery and public-service efficiency.

About the Public Distribution System (PDS)

• The Public Distribution System (PDS) is India’s food security mechanism for the distribution of subsidised foodgrains and essential commodities to eligible households through a nationwide network of Fair Price Shops (FPSs). 

• The PDS evolved from the Rationing System introduced during World War II and later expanded into the Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) in 1992 to improve food security in remote, hilly, drought-prone, and tribal areas. 

• In 1997, the government introduced the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), under which beneficiaries were classified into categories such as Below Poverty Line (BPL), Above Poverty Line (APL), and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, for targeted delivery of subsidised foodgrains.

• The enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, transformed food security into a legal entitlement by covering nearly two-thirds of India’s population and providing subsidised foodgrains to two categories of beneficiaries: 

• Priority Households (PHH): entitled to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices; 
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households: comprising the poorest and most vulnerable families, entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains per household per month.

• Over time, the PDS has undergone major digital reforms, including: Aadhaar seeding, digitisation of ration cards, electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) devices, online supply-chain management, and the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) system for nationwide portability of food entitlements. 

• The government further introduced the SMART-PDS initiative in April 2023 to modernise the PDS through technology-driven reforms involving automation, real-time monitoring, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and integrated digital governance systems.