Lok Sabha Question No. 622 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-03
Subject: Modernization of Food Distribution
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Thiru Arun Nehru

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 622

TO BE ANSWERED ON 3RD DECEMBER, 2025

## MODERNIZATION  OF FOOD DISTRIBUTION

## 622. THIRU ARUN NEHRU:

Will  the Minister of  CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by  the Government to modernize food distribution, storage and logistics infrastructure in Tamil Nadu to reduce post-harvest losses and control food inflation;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to expand smart and climate-resilient agriculture practices in  Tamil  Nadu to increase food production and ensure price stability and if  so, the details thereoE and
- (c) whether the Government plans to  increase investment in food-processing industries in Tamil Nadu to reduce wastage and stabilize prices and if  so, the details thereon

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): Department of  Food &  Public Distribution (DFPD), has taken following initiatives to modernize food distribution,  storage  &  logistics infrastructure in the country including  Tamil Nadu :-

## Public Distribution  System (PDS) Reforms:-

Under PDS reforms, ration cards/beneficiaries database have been completely (100%) digitized in all  States/UTs, transparency portal  and  online  grievance redressal facility/Toll-free number have been implemented in  all  States/UTs. Further online allocation has been implemented in  all States/UTs (except UTs of  Chandigarh, Puducherry and urban areas of  Dadra &  Nagar Ha\'eli which  have adopted DBT  Cash Transfer  scheme) and supply chain has been computerized in  31 States/UTs.

Further, this  Department is  implementing 'Scheme for  Modernisation and Reforms through Technology  in  Public  Distribution  System (SMART-PDS)' Scheme to strengthen the technology infrastructure in  Public  Distribution  System (PDS) to  lead the  technology driven  reforms and transformative change in the entire PDS ecosystem covering NFS A and State schemes. This Scheme includes four modules  namely (i) Food  Grains  Procurement, (ii) Supply  Chain  Management/ Allocation  of Grains, (iii)  Ration Cards Management System &  Fair Price Shop Management and (iv) Biometric Based Grains Distribution Module (eKYC).

## Storage Related Reforms :-

## (i) Smart Warehouse Project  :-

Department is in the process of converting  150 owned Depots of Food Corporation of  India (FC 1) to smart  warehouses on  pilot basis.  Besides,  all the  food  grain  depots  of  Central  Warehousing Corporation (CWC)  are also covered under smart warehouse project.

Under this project, traditional depots are converted in  smart warehouses which are equipped with different  sensors  like  smoke  sensors, fire  sensors  &  gate opening  sensor etc. for  monitoring  key parameters such as CC)2, phosphine levels, fire  hazards, humidity, unauthorized entry  and temperature on real time basis.

This  initiative is  to  ensure real-time  visibility, timely  intervention,  data-driven decision-making & standardized operations  across all  depots contributing to  ensure safe, secure, and efficient  food  grain storage  and distribution.

## (ii) Anna Darpan Project :-

The Department has initiated the development of 'ANNA DARP AN' a next generation, microservices- based integrated supply  chain  management system. The  system designed to streamline operations across Mandis, Mills, Depots and all  administrative levels. The Anna Dar'pan project  pilot  has been launched in  108 Depots on 18.11.2025.

## (iii)  Transformation  of FCI  :-

For the upgradation of  FCI  owned godowns, the Department has allocated the capital budget under 'Transformation of  FCI' initiative,  which  was started in FY  2023-24. The budget received under this initiative is primarily used for replacements of old damaged  Bituminous (BT) roads by Cement Concrete (CC) roads, replacement of  old damaged Asbestos Cement (AC)  sheet roofs with pre color coated Galvanised Iron profile  roof  sheets, upgradation of  lighting  system and installation  of Diesel Generator Set as power backup at food storage  godowns.

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## (iv) Depot Darpan  Portal

Depot Darpan Portal is a digital platform launched by this Department to enhance the monitoring, transparency and efficiency  of food-grain storage  depots under PDS .

This Portal uses a composite scoring system, assessing depots on two broad categories:  Infrastructure and Operational  Parameters. Based on the scores, each depot receives a star rating,  which  is meant to provide a quick assessment of depot performance.  Validation of data is built  into the process via 100% supervisory officer  verification  and some random third-party  audits to ensure reliability.

- (v) 'Anna Chakra' PDS Supply Chain Optimization Tool: Department of  Food and Public  Distribution  (DFPD)  has implemented 'Anna  Chakra' tool for  PDS Supply Chain Optimization. The tool  is designed to streamline the PDS supply chain, improving efficiency,  cutting  carbon emissions, and reducing overall  costs while  supporting 81 crore vulnerable citizens. Early results are encouraging, transportation costs are estimated to be  reduced  by nearly Rs. 250  crore annually. Using  state-specific algorithms, the  system optimizes routing  based on warehouse locations,  storage capacities, and road  distances, achieving  a  15 to  50% reduction  in transport distances.

## " Anna Chakra"  Inter-state Route optimization tool :

Inter-state movement optimization has been undertaken to  streamline and enhance the interstate movement operations of foodgrains, primarily  by rail, undertaken by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).  These movements are planned to  meet Public Distribution  System (PDS) requirements in consuming states while  simultaneously managing storage  space in procuring or surplus regions. The daily planning and execution of these operations is carried out by FCI using the tool developed for this purpose.

- (b): Indian Council of  Agricultural Research (ICAR)  is  implementing a project- National Innovations in  Climate Resilient Agriculture  (NICRA)  that studies the impact of climate change on agriculture, conducts district level risk  and vulnerability  assessment of agriculture to future clirnate change. Under the project, risk  and vulnerability  assessment of agriculture to  climate change has been carried out at district-level  for 651 predominantly  agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols. 310 districts were identified as vulnerable out of which 109 districts have been categorized as 'very  high'  and 201 districts  as 'highly'  vulnerable. For enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of  farmers to  climate variability,  location-specific

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climate resilient technologies  such as system of rice intensification, aerobic rice, direct seeding of rice, zero till wheat sowing, cultivation  of  climate resilient varieties tolerant to extreme weather conditions such as drought and heat; in-situ incorporation of  rice  residues etc. have been demonstrated under the project through KVKs  in 448 Climate Resilient Villages.  Capacity building for establishing village  level seed banks and community  nurseries is being undertaken under NICRA project that enables availability  of seeds in the adopted  villages. Drought and flood tolerant climateresilient varieties of rice, wheat, soybean,  mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram, and foxtail  millet  were demonstrated in  several NICRA villages. Besides, training  programmes are  conducted under Agricultural  Technology Management Agency (ATMA)  on various issues of agricultural practices including  creation of  awareness on using quality seeds among the farmers. Over the past decade (2014-2024), ICAR  released 2,900 crop varieties, of which  2,661 are tolerant to one or more biotic or abiotic  stresses. More  than  14,407 training  programmes have been organized, covering 5.14 lakh farmers to promote adoption of climate-resilient technologies.

(c): Ministry of  Food  Processing Industries  (MoFPI)  implements Central  Sector Umbrella Scheme-Pradhan Mantri  Kisan  Sampada Yojana  (PMKSY) since 2016-17 to  create post-harvest infrastructure and processing facilities  to boost the overall  development of the food processing sector including reduction in  post-harvest losses,  enhancing value addition etc.  The  component schemes under PMKSY  are (i)  Mega Food Parks (the component has been discontinued with  effect from 01.04.2021 with  provision for  committed liabilities  only)  (ii)  Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition  Infrastructure, (iii)  Infrastructure  for  Agro-processing Clusters, (iv)  Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages (The component has been discontinued from  lst  April  2021) (v) Creation / Expansion of  Food  Processing &  Preservation Capacities and (vi)  Operation Greens. MoFPI provides  credit  linked financial  assistance (capital  subsidy)  in  the  form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs for  setting up of food  processing/preservation  infrastructure which,  inter-alia, includes cold storages to minimize post-harvest losses.

Additionally,  MoFPI implements schemes viz. Prime Minister Formalization of Micro  Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) and  Production Linked Incentive Scheme  for Food  Processing Enterprises which  aim for  overall  development of  food processing sector, including  creation of modern infrastructure with  efficient  supply chain management from farm gate to  retail outlet, providing  better returns to  farmers, creation of  employment opportunities,  increasing the processing level and enhancing  the export of the processed foods.

Through these schemes, MoFPI  aims to enhance level  of  food processing which helps in increasing shelf life,  enhancing availability  of  food across regions throughout the year9 thus helping in stabilizing food prices gcSeSeSc jeSt