SMART-PDS
Technology Predecessor
The Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS) was approved for the period April 2023 – March 2026 with a budget of approximately Rs 349.9 crore. It comprised four modular sub-systems: (i) food grain procurement and stock management, (ii) supply chain management with real-time allocation and inventory tracking, (iii) ration card and FPS management with Aadhaar seeding, and (iv) biometric-based grain distribution via ePoS devices (eKYC). SMART-PDS operationalised digitisation of ration cards and computerised supply-chain management across all 36 States and UTs. SARTHAK-PDS now scales and deepens this digital infrastructure with next-generation AI/ML/blockchain tools and a substantially larger financial outlay.
- SMART-PDS (2023–26) budget: ~Rs 349.9 crore — SARTHAK-PDS outlay of Rs 25,530 crore represents a ~73x scale-up.
- One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), launched August 2019 and implemented across all 36 States/UTs, was enabled by the digital infrastructure built under SMART-PDS.
- SARTHAK-PDS adds AI-driven grievance redressal, NLP, and Blockchain — moving from digitisation to intelligent optimisation.
● Tracked since May 27, 2026 · last seen May 27, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes