Food secretaries’ meet reviews PDS system

The secretary of the department of food & public distribution (DFPD), government of India, Sanjeev Chopra, chaired a meeting of state food secretaries on 1 September 2026 in New Delhi to review key issues relating to the procurement, public distribution, and storage of foodgrains. Food secretaries of states/UTs and officers of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) attended the meeting.

Paddy procurement and Improved Rice

Following deliberations, the paddy procurement estimate for the upcoming kharif marketing season (KMS) 2026–27 was fixed at 708.64 LMT (in terms of paddy).

The implementation of improved rice under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes was also reviewed. Under the approved policy, raw rice procured will contain up to 10% broken grains, replacing the existing specification of 25%. For parboiled rice, the limit will be 5% broken grains, replacing the existing specification of 16%.

Procurement of improved rice will commence from KMS 2026–27 and will be progressively expanded across procuring States. States were asked to assess their milling capacity, plan the necessary upgrades, and prepare a phased road map for implementation.

A quantity of 18.85 LMT of coarse grains has been estimated for procurement by States during KMS 2026–27 (Kharif).

Coarse grains, millets

The procurement and distribution plans for coarse grains, millets, and minor millets were reviewed. The Conference was informed that 16.38 LMT of coarse grains and millets were procured during 2025–26 — the highest procurement recorded in the last five years.

Progress under the Procurement Centre Smart-Assessment Portal (PCSAP) was reviewed, including the introduction of AI-based image validation from KMS 2026–27.

The conference also reviewed the progress of joint physical verification (JPV). The proposed online physical verification of paddy at the end of the procurement season, starting from KMS 2026–27, was discussed with the states.

Successful initiatives and best practices of States were also recognized:

• Andhra Pradesh – Best Implementation of the Improved Rice Scheme 
• Punjab – Best Performance in JPV and PCSAP 
• Karnataka – Excellence in Procurement of Shree Anna 
• Chhattisgarh – First State to Implement AgriStack in Paddy Procurement 

Storage capacity

The conference reviewed the New Storage Policy, which seeks to address the growing mismatch between procurement and offtake, regional imbalances, and under-utilization of storage capacity.

The policy envisages the creation of 131 LMT of additional storage capacity, including 111 LMT by States and 20 LMT by FCI. Identified States were asked to submit time-bound action plans.

States were also advised to onboard their foodgrain storage facilities onto the Depot Darpan Portal, a self-assessment tool for warehouses, complete assessments within defined timelines, and avail training and handholding support from CWC, FCI, and DFPD.

Foodgrain Movement

The implementation of the Vehicle Location Tracking System (VLTS) for GPS-based real-time tracking of vehicles transporting foodgrains under the PDS supply chain was reviewed.

States were advised to complete implementation by December 2026, with select States targeted for completion by September 2026.

The Procurement Optimization Tool, which supports both KMS and RMS, was also reviewed. The tool has been security-audited and installed in Punjab and Haryana. Remaining States were asked to prepare and update Procurement Centre, Mill, and Warehouse data in the system by 15 September 2026.

The Conference further reviewed the integration of Anna Chakra with State SCMS and VLTS to eliminate manual intervention in data exchange. Integration has been completed for six States. Remaining States were advised to complete integration in a phased manner by September and December 2026, and to ensure verification and updating of FPS, warehouse, and commodity master data.

PDS reforms

The conference reviewed key initiatives relating to PDS reforms and technology-enabled service delivery, including onboarding and next steps under SMART-PDS and SARTHAK-PDS, e-KYC and mobile number seeding, and the Mera Ration and Anna Mitra mobile applications.

Discussions  covered the rationalization of Fair Price Shops, CBDC, identification of silent and duplicate beneficiaries, grievance redressal, intra-State movement, FPS dealer margins, and the strengthening of vigilance mechanisms.

FPS Dealer Margins

The Digital Rupee (₹)-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) pilot for FPS dealer margins — already inaugurated in Gujarat, Puducherry, and Chandigarh & Dadra and Nagar Haveli — will be extended to the entire State of Delhi and two districts each in six more States: Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.

A review workshop is scheduled in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on 11 September 2026.

SARTHAK-PDS, the umbrella scheme for 2026–31 integrating assistance to States for intra-State movement of foodgrains and FPS dealer margins with the SMART-PDS technology layer, has seen 100% of Mother Sanctions issued to States/UTs for FY 2026–27.

e-KYC

e-KYC stood at 90.64% as of 30 July 2026. A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for e-KYC-based data replication and mobile number seeding through ePOS was rolled out. The Department reiterated that this will facilitate easier delivery of foodgrains to beneficiaries.

New SOPs for silent ration cards and duplicate beneficiaries, issued under the amended TPDS (Control) Order, 2015, provide for temporary disablement followed by a three-month e-KYC revalidation window. This functionality will go live in SMART-PDS from 1 October 2026.

Vigilance mechanisms

States/UTs were advised to ensure the timely constitution and regular functioning of Vigilance Committees, and to submit prescribed status reports in accordance with Section 29 of the NFSA, 2013.

States/UTs were directed to operationalize Aadhaar-based authentication of foodgrain receipt at the Fair Price Shop level by Vigilance Committees, and to submit rollout compliance reports within four weeks.