{"id":75288,"date":"2026-05-29T21:36:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=75288"},"modified":"2026-05-29T21:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:07:36","slug":"sarthak-pds-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-05-2026\/sarthak-pds-scheme","title":{"rendered":"SARTHAK-PDS Scheme to Modernise Public Distribution System"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Governance, GS3\/ Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), approved the continuation and integration of two key food distribution schemes under a new umbrella programme titled <strong>\u201cScheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS\u201d (SARTHAK-PDS).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The SARTHAK-PDS scheme integrates two existing initiatives;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Assistance to State Agencies for intra-State movement of foodgrains and FPS dealers\u2019 margin<\/strong> under NFSA and\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART PDS)<\/strong> with the objective of strengthening implementation of the <strong>National Food Security Act.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The scheme proposes the use of advanced technologies such as <strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Blockchain<\/strong> to modernise and optimise PDS operations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d0d1c2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"389\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-178-1024x389.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-75289\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d0d1c2; aspect-ratio:2.632455195377534;width:460px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-178-1024x389.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-178-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-178-768x292.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-178.png 1038w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a PDS System?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Public Distribution System (PDS)<\/strong> is a food security mechanism in India through which essential food commodities are distributed to eligible beneficiaries at subsidised prices through Fair Price Shops (FPSs).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The system primarily distributes <strong>rice, wheat and coarse grains<\/strong> to economically weaker sections of society.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The PDS is a <strong>joint responsibility<\/strong> of the central and state governments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The central government<\/strong>, through the <strong>Food Corporation of India (FCI),<\/strong> procures, stores, transports, and allocates food grains to the states.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State governments<\/strong> manage the system at the ground level, including allocating food within the state, identifying eligible families, and issuing ration cards.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Evolution of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>PDS in the 1960s: <\/strong>The modern PDS emerged during the food shortages of the 1960s and after the Green Revolution, the system expanded to tribal, remote and poverty-prone regions during the <strong>1970s and 1980s.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS)<\/strong> was launched in <strong>1992 <\/strong>to strengthen food distribution in remote, hilly and tribal areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was launched in 1997<\/strong> to direct food subsidies specifically towards Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)<\/strong> was launched in <strong>2000<\/strong> to provide highly subsidised food grains to the \u201cpoorest of the poor\u201d households.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional and Global Commitments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Right to Food Under Article 21:<\/strong> The Supreme Court has interpreted the Right to Food as an essential component of <strong>Article 21<\/strong>, which guarantees the <strong>Right to Life.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sustainable Development Goals:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) <\/strong>aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture globally by <strong>2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) <\/strong>aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges with the PDS System<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Diversion of Food Grains: <\/strong>A significant portion of food grains is leaked during transportation or diverted to the black market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Exclusion due to Biometric Verification: <\/strong>Many people lose access to their monthly rations as their names are struck off the PDS rolls after biometric verification, requiring them to apply for new ration cards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inclusion and Exclusion Errors: <\/strong>Non-eligible households receive benefits, burdening the system.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Genuine beneficiaries are excluded due to flaws in the identification process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corruption at Fair Price Shops (FPS), <\/strong>such as under-weighing food grains, selling poor-quality goods, or charging higher prices, undermines the system&#8217;s effectiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inadequate warehousing facilities<\/strong> lead to spoilage and wastage of food grains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutritional Limitations: <\/strong>The PDS largely <strong>focuses on cereals<\/strong> and does not adequately address nutritional diversity through pulses, millets and <strong>protein-rich foods.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reforms and Modernization Efforts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Food Security Act, 2013: <\/strong>Enacted to provide legal entitlement to subsidized food grains to <strong>two-thirds<\/strong> of India&#8217;s population.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensures the coverage of <strong>75% of rural and 50% of urban <\/strong>population.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Targeted Public Distribution System (Control) Order of 2015<\/strong> was issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It established responsibilities for the Centre and States, and set up a grievance redressal mechanism.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Ration Cards: <\/strong>The introduction of digital ration cards and Aadhaar-based biometric authentication aims to eliminate fake and duplicate ration cards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT):<\/strong> In some regions, DBT has been implemented, where <strong>money is transferred directly to the bank accounts<\/strong> of beneficiaries instead of providing food grains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Citizen-centric applications <\/strong>such as <strong>Mera Ration, Anna Mitra, Rightful Targeting Dashboard<\/strong> and <strong>Anna Sahayata<\/strong> have also been introduced to improve access and transparency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Infrastructure Expansion:<\/strong> Strengthen storage and transportation facilities to support the growing scale of operations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technological Integration:<\/strong> Leverage artificial intelligence and <strong>blockchain<\/strong> for real-time tracking and reducing inefficiencies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Implement social audits and public grievance redressal mechanisms <\/strong>to hold PDS stakeholders accountable and address issues like corruption and leakages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expanding Nutritional Basket: <\/strong>The government should include pulses and fortified food items in the Public Distribution System to improve nutritional security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ddnews.gov.in\/en\/cabinet-approves-rs-25530-crore-sarthak-pds-scheme-to-modernise-public-distribution-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DD News<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), approved the continuation and integration of two key food distribution schemes under a new umbrella programme titled \u201cScheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS\u201d (SARTHAK-PDS). <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The SARTHAK-PDS scheme integrates two existing initiatives; <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Assistance to State Agencies for intra-State movement of foodgrains and FPS dealers\u2019 margin under NFSA and\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART PDS) with the objective of strengthening implementation of the National Food Security Act. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-05-2026\/sarthak-pds-scheme \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75288"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75295,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75288\/revisions\/75295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}