Public Distribution System Automation

Food Subsidy programs have been implemented all over the world. From the US to India to many African countries. One of the largest Food Subsidy programs in the world is in India. Commonly referred to as the Public Distribution System (PDS), it provides subsidized food to close to 900 million Indians. However, the system is not bullet proof. Mired in a quagmire of inefficiency, pilferage and adulteration, the entire system is full of leakages. Starting from identifying the families, ensuring data hygiene of the list, ensuring the right family gets the food to a majority Fair Price Shops (FPS) often short-selling customers, hoarding and switching inferior products to resell, there are many areas that need urgent intervention.

However, most of the above problems, can easily be solved by adding technology to the mix. Automation, Data Security, using biometric systems to dissuade identity theft, almost all the lacuna in the system can be resolved with technology.

FPS portability ensures that a migrant labourer can get his monthly ration from his place of work (and not necessarily the place he resides & had got his card)

Automation reduces chances of rent seeking / optimizes demand supply / eases the management of other commodity sale through FPS – thus ensuring viability of shops

We at CSM, have used digitization and automation with appropriate intervention of information and communications technology paired with software applications to revamp the PDS to make it convenient, secure and more reliable than ever before.

Technological innovations and business process reengineering aided with human capacity development have been instrumental in simplifying procedures, ushering in transparency of operations, weeding out malpractices and developing a near real time reporting mechanism for field-level operations across the supply chain. Major overhauling of the Public Distribution System by the State government has enabled the vulnerable to access subsidized food grains at their doorsteps.

With our expertise in GovTech, we are equipped with the right tools to minimize human involvement and use information technology to completely automate the processes. The Public Distribution System Automation uses the following modules to ensure the right beneficiary gets the right commodity. The system has the following modules:

Public distribution system by definition is a government-sponsored chain of shops entrusted with the work of distributing basic food and non-food commodities to the under privileged of the society at an affordable price. In India, this distribution is carried by Fair Price Shops(FPS).

Beneficiary Registration System

The module is designed to register a new beneficiary, check the authentication of the beneficiary by physical verification, using biometrics like finger prints, iris scans, manage duplicates and also delete a beneficiary is they do not meet the support criteria. The system is critical to ensure the right beneficiary is being given the support they need. The resident database creation and management through biometrics citizen profiling is one of our strongest Gov Tech solutions.

Stock Management at Depots

The module is built to integrate with our Supply Chain Management System read here to ensure that the right quantity of stock is dispatched to the right FPS. Every beneficiary is mapped to a FPS, a group of such FPS are managed by the Depots. The data of the number of beneficiary, the quantity of each commodity needed by the FPSs and the delivery process are all managed by this module.

FPS Management System

This is critical to ensure the distribution is done effectively and also helps in maintaining the data required for audits. The system automatically downloads the allotment of commodities every day, authenticates the biometrics on failure, a SMS is sent to their registered mobile number of the beneficiaries when they come to collect, data from a digital weighing scale is fed and a receipt generated and finally uploads the days transactions in the evening.