Last Updated on February 17, 2026 10:58 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
A R DAS
India’s Department of Food and Public Distribution today highlighted a range of artificial intelligence-enabled and digital innovations aimed at transforming the country’s public distribution system at the India-AI Impact Summit and Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam.
The exhibition pavilion, titled “AI-Empowered Innovations for Public Distribution,” has been jointly organised by the Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP). The exhibition is open to the public from February 17 to 19.
The pavilion was inaugurated by Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, in the presence of Stefan Priesner, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, and Elisabeth Faure, Country Director and Representative of WFP India, along with senior government officials and partner organisations.
Addressing the summit, Chopra said the department was moving beyond a focus on transparency towards greater responsiveness, enabled by the integration of artificial intelligence across operations. He said AI interventions now span the entire public distribution system value chain, from procurement of foodgrains and storage to transportation, distribution and settlement of food subsidy claims raised by states.
Chopra said the use of AI-driven systems was improving efficiency, strengthening accountability and enabling real-time decision-making, adding that the department was witnessing tangible results within a short span of time. He said the deployment of AI was helping deliver food subsidies to states more efficiently while serving nearly 800 million beneficiaries every month in a more transparent and responsive manner.
WFP’s Faure highlighted the organisation’s long-standing collaboration with the Department of Food and Public Distribution, noting that the partnership of more than two decades continues to focus on strengthening key government schemes, particularly the public distribution system.
Among the innovations showcased at the exhibition are grain ATMs that enable rapid and accurate delivery of foodgrain entitlements through fully digital and AI-enabled systems; smart warehouse solutions using sensor-based technologies to prevent food losses and improve storage efficiency; and an AI-based route optimisation function designed to streamline transportation under the public distribution system, reduce operational costs and lower carbon emissions.
Faure also said a hackathon has been launched to encourage innovative solutions addressing last-mile nutrition gaps, with three emerging startups presenting their solutions at the summit.
Key digital platforms on display include SMART PDS, a unified national digital backbone integrating ration card management, procurement, storage, transportation, biometric authentication and grievance redressal, supported by real-time analytics dashboards; Anna Chakra, an AI-based movement planning system optimising foodgrain transportation; and Depot Darpan, a smart warehousing monitoring platform focused on infrastructure management, hygiene and storage safety.
Other systems demonstrated include automatic grain analysers for digital quality testing during procurement, and citizen-centric platforms such as ASHA, a multilingual grievance redressal system; SCAN, an intelligent document processing platform for subsidy claims; and Annapurti grain ATMs, which dispense foodgrains through biometric authentication.
Dignitaries also undertook a guided walkthrough of the pavilion, including live demonstrations led by an AI-enabled robotic system. The exhibition is being held at Hall No. 5, first floor, Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily until February 19.
