The government, on December 5, unveiled ‘Anna Chakra,’ a cutting-edge tool designed to optimise the Public Distribution System (PDS) supply chain and enhance its efficiency nationwide. The initiative was launched by the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi. It uses advanced algorithms to identify the best routes, ensuring the seamless movement of food grains across various supply chain nodes.

In a press release, the government highlighted the scale and uniqueness of the initiative. “An operation of this magnitude involves a complex supply chain, relying on multiple stakeholders starting from farmers to Fair Price Shops. This makes the initiative unique, as it helps improve the speed and efficiency of the world’s largest food security program, providing a food safety net to 81 crore beneficiaries,” the statement read.

The optimisation tool aims to improve efficiency and achieve significant cost savings by streamlining delivery routes. This, in turn, reduces fuel consumption, time and logistics expenses while also offering environmental benefits such as a lower carbon footprint due to reduced transportation emissions.

The government has already conducted route optimisation of assessments across 30 states, with projected cost savings of approximately ₹250 crores annually. Additionally, the interstate route optimisation tool has been integrated with the FOIS (Freight Operations Information System) portal of Indian Railways through the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP).

“This integration marks a significant milestone in this effort, as the optimisation tool is now linked with the PM Gati Shakti platform, which houses geo-locations of Fair Price Shops (FPS) and warehouses across states,” the government noted.

Alongside Anna Chakra, the government also launched the SCAN portal, or Subsidy Claim Application for NFSA (National Food Security Act). This portal offers a single-window platform for states to submit subsidy claims, ensuring quicker claim scrutiny and approval by the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD).

The SCAN portal automates the entire workflow for food subsidy release and settlement, using rule-based processing to streamline and expedite the process. “The portal ensures end-to-end workflow automation of all processes for the release and settlement of food subsidies,” the government added.

These initiatives underline the government’s commitment to strengthening the efficiency of the PDS and ensuring a smoother food distribution system across the country.