Bhubaneswar: The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the “Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in Public Distribution System” (SARTHAK PDS) as an umbrella scheme aimed at strengthening and modernising India’s public distribution network.
The scheme focuses on improving food grain transportation, enhancing support for fair price shops and accelerating the modernisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS) across the country.
Under the revamped framework, three major components have been introduced:
- Assistance to state agencies for intra-state movement of food grains
- Support for fair price shops
- Modernisation of the Public Distribution System
The government said the initiative is intended to improve efficiency, transparency and last-mile delivery under the PDS network while ensuring smoother transportation and handling of subsidised food grains.
The total allocation for the scheme has been fixed at ₹25,530 crore as the Central share. The funding will be utilised to strengthen logistics infrastructure, support ration distribution mechanisms and implement technology-driven reforms in the food security system.
Officials said the continuation of the umbrella scheme is expected to help states streamline food grain supply chains, reduce operational gaps and improve services delivered through fair price shops benefiting millions of ration card holders across India.
