Gujarat’s Transparent and Technological Public Distribution System Serves as a Model for Other States – Shri Pralhad Joshi

Gandhinagar : Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Pralhad Joshi has praised Gujarat’s technological initiatives in the public distribution system, highlighting them as a model for other states. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, these initiatives have set a high standard for transparency and efficiency. Shri Pralhad Joshi noted that the performance of the State’s Department of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs is commendable, with various schemes showing strong results. The integration of technology to ensure transparency has created a robust system that other states can emulate. During his visit to Gujarat, Shri Pralhad Joshi met with Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar and reviewed the activities of the Food and Civil Supplies Department. The meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister, was attended by State Minister for Food Civil Supplies Shri Kunvarji Bavaliya, Minister of State Shri Bhikhusinh Parmar, Chief Secretary Shri Raj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Pankaj Joshi, and senior officials from both state and central governments.

In Gujarat, food is distributed to needy families through 17,000 fair-price shops, benefiting 3.63 crore NFSA recipients. The state manages 250 godowns for grain storage, as outlined in the meeting. The Union Minister was particularly impressed by Gujarat’s advanced system, which features supply chain automation, live vehicle tracking, and monitoring with over 7,500 CCTV cameras in godowns. This system is overseen by command and control centres to ensure effective last-mile delivery of food grains. The Union Minister also praised Gujarat for saving an average of ₹53 lakh per month through route automation, a measure recommended by the central government to improve transportation efficiency. Moreover, Gujarat has introduced the ‘My Ration’ mobile app and implemented e-KYC via face authentication. This process has benefitted over 59 lakh people, with more than 20 lakh downloading the app. These accomplishments were highlighted during the meeting with the Union Minister.

Under the direct guidance of Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, the CM Dashboard’s feedback mechanism collects responses on the public distribution system through telephonic outreach to beneficiaries. The Union Minister was informed that this system has achieved a 95 per cent satisfaction rate for both distribution and quality. Over the past three years, the state has resolved 90 per cent of complaints received by the State Level Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and 96 per cent of those addressed to the District Level Commission. Under Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel’s leadership, the state has made significant strides in promoting millet-grain purchase and distribution, spending ₹470 crore to acquire 1,70,600 metric tons of millet  (Shri Anna) at support prices from farmers. Additionally, the Union Minister observed that Gujarat has completed 69.94 lakh transactions as part of the One Nation-One Ration Card pilot project.

Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel has instructed the department to enforce a zero-tolerance policy to maintain the highest quality of grains, pulses, edible oils, and other food items. Under the Public Distribution System and PM Poshan Yojana, all food items supplied to ICDS undergo rigorous quality checks by the Food Research Laboratory before distribution. Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi praised Gujarat’s stringent quality control measures and mentioned that the central government will consider the state’s request for increased food grain allocations. Shri Ramesh Meena, Principal Secretary of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, delivered a comprehensive presentation on Gujarat’s achievements in the public distribution system and its central and state schemes.

Source: Information Department, Gujarat