New Delhi, May 27: The Central government on Wednesday unveiled the SARTHAK-PDS scheme with a financial outlay of ₹25,530 crore to modernise the Public Distribution System (PDS), strengthen logistics infrastructure and integrate artificial intelligence-based solutions for beneficiary management and grievance redressal.
The announcement was made by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during a Cabinet briefing.
The scheme will be implemented over a five-year period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031, and aims to support state agencies in the intra-state movement of food grains, strengthen fair price shops and accelerate the technology-driven transformation of the public distribution system nationwide.
As part of the next phase of SMART PDS, the government has introduced three key AI-powered platforms — NIRMAL, ASHA and SAKSHAM.
The NIRMAL platform will function as a real-time AI-driven beneficiary registry with live integration across ministries and convergence with multiple welfare schemes. ASHA has been developed as a multilingual AI-enabled grievance redressal and citizen engagement system that will operate through calls, WhatsApp, IVRS and chatbots, with the capability to manage up to three lakh interactions every day.
The SAKSHAM platform will serve as an AI-enabled supply chain management system equipped with vehicle tracking, QR-based traceability, demand forecasting and route optimisation features.
According to the government, the technology-led initiative is expected to improve identification of eligible beneficiaries and significantly enhance citizen satisfaction through faster and more efficient service delivery. The ASHA food security assistant will also facilitate quicker grievance resolution in citizens’ preferred languages.
The Centre said the scheme is projected to reduce food grain transportation distances by 15 to 50 per cent, helping minimise wastage and encouraging local procurement.
Logistics improvements under the programme are expected to generate annual savings of nearly ₹280 crore while reducing carbon emissions by 35 per cent.
To ensure greater transparency and accountability, the scheme will also introduce QR-coded food grain bags and vehicle location tracking systems for real-time monitoring across the supply chain.
The government said SARTHAK-PDS is designed to make the Public Distribution System more efficient, transparent and citizen-centric while reducing operational leakages and strengthening food grain delivery mechanisms across the country.
