Joshi highlights role of technology in strengthening PDS and reaching the poorest
Published: Nov 19, 2025
By TIOLCorplaws News Service
NEW DELHI, NOV 19, 2025: UNION Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, yesterday launched a suite of digital initiatives aimed at modernizing warehousing operations, improving supply chain efficiency and enhancing transparency across the Public Distribution System (PDS). Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, presided over the launch and highlighted the Ministry's continued efforts to drive digital transformation in the food and public distribution sector.
Speaking on the occasion, Pralhad Joshi said that such initiatives support the Government's mission of reducing logistics costs and minimizing turnover time, a key national priority outlined by the Prime Minister. He noted that the PM Gati Shakti programme has synchronized different modes of transportation and laid the foundation for an integrated logistics ecosystem. He added that it is the credibility of the leadership, policy stability and policy continuity that inspires trust with the citizens. In alignment with this vision, the digital platforms like Bhandaran 360 will further strengthen supply chain efficiency nationwide and technology would enhance transparency in service delivery.
He added that improved coordination between stakeholders under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, supported by AI-enabled systems, will ensure that subsidized food grains reach the poorest households with greater accuracy, speed and dignity. While emphasizing upon role of technology, the Union Minister added that the human touch should not be missed to drive effective and transparent service delivery to the poorest of the poor.
At the centre of this transformation is Central Warehousing Corporation's new ERP platform, 'Bhandaran 360', built on SAP S/4HANA. Implemented ahead of schedule, the system integrates 41 modules covering HR, finance, marketing, warehouse management, contract management, project monitoring and other core functions. It is also linked with 35 external systems, including ICEGATE, port systems, FCI, NAFED, NCCF and WDRA, enabling seamless digital connectivity across the food storage and movement ecosystem.
The new system introduces:
- Single Sign-On and role-based access to improve security and reduce manual dependency
- End-to-end data encryption and audit trails
- Real-time dashboards showing operations from warehouse level to corporate level
- Automated workflows with Chatbots and RPA to improve turnaround time
- Predictive analytics for faster decision-making
The upgraded platform also adds several new features such as a lead and marketing management module, integrated HRMS, project planning, SAP FICO, smart material management, biometric and geo-tagged attendance, a mobile app for measurement books, and strengthened contract monitoring.
These enhancements standardize operations across all CWC warehouses and support faster expansion, better service quality and improved accountability. It helps ease of doing business and ease of living for farmers, FPO's, cooperatives, traders, MSME's and large enterprises including e-commerce players.
Smart EXIM Warehouse System to automate container and cargo handling
Under Digital Transformation 2.0, CWC has also introduced the Smart EXIM Warehouse System for container freight stations (CFS/ICD) and general warehouses. This system uses AI, IoT, FASTag, OCR/ANPR, GNSS and other technologies to automate key processes.
Major components include:
- Gate Automation System integrated with port and rail systems for auto-fetching vehicle and container details, FASTag-based entry, and automatic record generation
- Yard Management with Digital Twin, providing real-time tracking of containers and equipment and optimizing movement inside the yard
- Smart Inventory Management, which counts and tracks cargo in real time and auto-updates records with ERP-WMS integration
These tools reduce manual intervention, speed up cargo handling and bring end-to-end transparency to logistics operations, improves turnaround time and employee productivity.
FCI rolls out ANNA DARPAN for unified, mobile-first supply chain operations
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has introduced ANNA DARPAN, a new microservices-based platform that replaces the existing Depot Online System. ANNA DARPAN connects key activities such as procurement, storage, movement, sales, quality checks, labour management and contract monitoring under one integrated system. It serves as a single unified source of truth for both FCI and DFPD
Key features include:
- A mobile-first design for anytime access
- Smooth integration with internal and external systems for uniform data
- Real-time dashboards across mandis, depots, railheads and offices
- A single, reliable information flow for faster decisions and improved transparency
- The platform is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of India's food supply chain.
The platform is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of India's food supply chain.
ASHA platform introduced to strengthen citizen feedback in PDS
Department of Food and Public Distribution has also launched ASHA, Anna Sahayata Holistic AI Solution, an AI-based platform that allows beneficiaries to share their feedback on ration distribution through AI enabled calls in their preferred language.
ASHA helps beneficiaries report whether they received their full entitlement, the quality of foodgrains, and any difficulty faced at Fair Price Shops. The system uses multilingual translation, sentiment analysis, automated grievance categorization and real-time dashboards for administrators. Asha reaches 20 lakh beneficiaries monthly across India, developed in partnership with Wadhwani foundation and backed by India AI mission via Bhashini's multilingual AI infrastructure.
The platform:
- Strengthens transparency under Food security and PMGKAY
- Helps identify irregularities quickly
- Enhances citizen participation in the PDS
- Supports evidence-based decision-making
ASHA began with pilots in five states, expanded to 15 more and will reach 20 lakh citizens per month across all 36 States and UTs by March 2026.
Silo at Malout, Punjab (virtual launch)
The Union Minister said that newly launched Hub Silo Complex at Malout, Punjab (1.5 lakh metric ton) demonstrates our government commitment to world-class storage infrastructure for food security and PDS efficiency. These Steel silos provide better grain preservation from moisture, pests and temperature fluctuations reducing spoilage and maintaining quality.
A modern steel silo facility for scientific and loss-free grain storage will ensures better quality foodgrains reach ration-card holders, while reducing wastage and spoilage. This will also provide higher storage capacity in a smaller footprint compared to warehouses, improved efficiency through automated loading and unloading and significant cost savings by minimizing manual labor and post-harvest losses.
The event was attended by Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, DFPD; senior officials including C. Shikha and Anita Karn; and heads of key organizations such as Santosh Sinha, Managing Director, CWC, and Ashutosh Agnihotri, Managing Director, FCI.
