Govt to seek monthly feedback of PDS beneficiaries via AI platform
New Delhi: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday launched an AI-based platform ASHA to seek feedback from beneficiaries under the public distribution system and directed officials to take action on grievances expeditiously.
The minister launched a suite of digital initiatives aimed at modernising warehousing operations, improving supply chain efficiency and enhancing transparency across the public distribution system (PDS). He also virtually inaugurated a silo in Punjab.
The digital initiatives launched on Tuesday are: a) Bhandaran 360 — a cloud-based ERP platform at Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC); b) Smart EXIM Warehouse to automate CWC’s CFC/ICD operations; c) Food Corporation of India (FCI)’s ‘Anna Darpan’ cloud platform for integrated grain operations; d) ASHA AI system.
Joshi said these digital initiatives support the government’s mission of reducing logistics costs and minimising turnover time.
Emphasising the role of technology, the minister said the human behind technology should also apply their mind with emotions like compassion to drive effective and transparent service delivery to the poorest of the poor.
Elaborating on ASHA, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said 20 lakh ration shop beneficiaries will be reached out per month with the help of this AI platform to seek feedback about the PDS system.
Only Rs 5 lakh will be spent every month for this operation, he said, adding that the cost would have been much higher if done through call centres.
The CWC’s ERP platform, Bhandaran 360, built on SAP S/4HANA, 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.
Under the 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.
The 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 the Department of Food & Public Distribution.
The department has launched ASHA (Anna Sahayata Holistic AI Solution), an AI-based platform that allows beneficiaries to share their feedback on ration distribution through automated calls in their preferred language.
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.
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, an official statement said.
The event was attended by the food secretary and senior food ministry officials, including C Shikha and Anita Karn.
