The government’s digitalization drive has completely transformed India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) and set new benchmarks for food security programs globally. It is not us, but the Union Food Ministry. Apart from this, due to improvement in the system serving 80.6 crore beneficiaries, 5.8 crore fake ration cards have been eliminated through Aadhaar-based authentication and e-verification Know Your Customer (eKYC).
“These efforts have resulted in a significant reduction in leaks and better targeting,” the ministry said. According to the ministry, almost all 20.4 crore ration cards have been digitized, of which 99.8 per cent are linked to Aadhaar and 98.7 per cent of beneficiaries’ credentials have been verified through biometric authentication.
The Ministry has deployed 5.33 lakh e-POS devices at fair price shops across the country, enabling Aadhaar-based authentication during distribution and accurately targeting beneficiaries.
“Today, Aadhaar authentication is used to distribute approximately 98 per cent of total food grains, reducing leakage to ineligible beneficiaries and reducing any risk of theft,” the statement said.
The government’s eKYC initiative has already validated 64 per cent of all PDS beneficiaries, while the process is underway for the remaining beneficiaries at fair price stores across the country.
On the supply side, Food Corporation of India (FCI) has implemented an end-to-end supply chain management system that includes a vehicle location tracking system integrated with Railways for real-time tracking of food shipments.
The ‘One Nation One Ration Card Scheme’ has enabled nationwide portability, allowing beneficiaries to collect rations anywhere in India using their existing cards.
The ministry also highlighted, “Through digitalization, proper targeting and supply chain innovations, the Government of India has set a global benchmark for state-sponsored food security initiatives.” The digital transformation covers the entire PDS chain, from procurement to distribution, ensuring targeted delivery to genuine beneficiaries and removing fake cards and entries from the system.
