NEW DELHI: Union minister for Food and Commerce Piyush Goyal on Thursday, March 2 said that SMART-PDS is a technological driven initiative and the need of hour, so all the states should make earnest efforts to implement SMART-PDS at the earliest. b

The Minister said this while addressing a conference of states' food ministers. Goyal emphasised the need for a transparent and accountable system that would encourage automation of the current processes while minimising human interaction.

In the SMART-PDS system, rations are distributed through fair pricing shops upon presentation of the smart ration card by any beneficiary family member. Smart ration cards are handed to recipients of the public distribution system. These smart ration cards store the beneficiary's fingerprint template and keep track of all transactions.

Goyal went on to say that openness should be of the utmost significance for the public distribution system's free foodgrain supply chain. In terms of storage, Goyal said that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is renovating its godowns into ones with a five-star rating and that other states ought to do the same. He said, that the resolution of states' unresolved claims was being handled on a priority basis and would happen right away.

There was discussion during the conference about the purchase of millets and how beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) use them.

States were asked to take a cue from Karnataka's successful use of millets in programmes like the ICDS, mid-day meal, and PDS, which adds nutrients and encourages a healthy diet.

The expected procurement of Millets or coarse grains is 7.50 LMT during the Kharif marketing season of 2022-23 (Kharif & Rabi) as against actual procurement of 6.30 LMT during Kharif marketing season of 2021-22.

Karnataka government will procure 6 LMT millets (5 LMT Ragi and 1 LMT Jowar) in Kharif season of 2022-23.

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