Parliament Question: Modernisation of Food Procurement, Storage and PDS in Bengaluru

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3063 TO BE ANSWERED ON lITH MARCH, 2026 MODERNISATION OF FOOD PROCUREMENT, STORAGE AND PDS IN BENGALURU 3063. SHRI PC MOHAN: Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS. FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a): the details of the steps taken by the Government to modernise food procurement. storage and logistics systems through digitisation, modern silos and scientific warehousing across the country including Karnataka: (b): the details of the measures undertaken b)- the Government to strengthen procurenrent SYstems and ensure timely Minimum Support Price (MSP) payments to farmers particularly in Karnataka: (c-): the total number of Public Distribution System (PDS) fair price shops operating in Karnataka and specifIcally in Bengaluru along \vith details of foodgrdins and essential commodities presently distributed under the Ndtiondl Food Security Act: (d): u-hether the Government proposes to expand storage capacity or introduce additional foodgrain t, or grocery items under the PDS in Karnataka especially in Bengaluru; and (e): if so. the det,als thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA) (a) & (b): The Government has taken following steps to modernize and strengthen the procurement systems and ensure timely payment of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers: (i) FCI, the nodal central agency of Government of India, along with other State Agencies undertakes procurement of wheat and paddy under MSP operations. Coarse grains/millets in central pool are procured by State Government Agencies only under decentralized procurement system. (ii) FCI and various State Agencies in consultation with the State Government establish a large number of purchase centers at various mandis and key points. The number of centers and theirlocations are decided by the State Governments, based on various parameters, so as to maximize the MSP operations. List of portals being used in the State of Karnataka is at annexure. (iii) Stocks conforming to the Government of India specifications which are offered by the farrrlers at purchase centers are procured by the Government Agencies at MSP. Presence of Governrrt,ent Agencies ensures prevention of distress sale of food grains by the farmers. (iv) Procurement of foodgrains under MSP operations is carried out through online Procurerrt,ent Portals of respective States which has brought in substantial transparency in the process with registration of farmers on the portal, online verification of land/crop and online payment of MSP directly into the farmer’s bank account, preferably within 48 hours, (v) “One Nation, One MSP through DBT” has been implemented across the country which has brought in responsibility, transparency & real time monitoring. (vi) in order to widen the reach of MSP operations for food grains, Government of India has made a provision for engagement of Co-operative societies/ Self Help Groups/ Panchayats/ Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS)/Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) also by the State procuring agencies so that maximum farmers can avail the benefit of price support operations. The Government has taken following initiatives to modernise foodgrain storage and logistics systems: - (i) Smart Warehouse Project : The Government has envisaged conversion of its 150 owned Depots, on pilot basis to smart warehouses which are equipped with different sensors like smoke sensors, fire sensors & gate opening sensor etc. for monitoring key parameters such as CI)2, phosphine levels, fire hazards, humidity, unauthorized entry and temperature on real time basis. This initiative is to ensure real-time visibility, timely intervention, data-driven decision- making & standardized operations across all depots contributing to ensure safe, secure, and efficient food grain storage and distribution. (ii) Depot Darpan Portal: Depot Darpan Portal is a digital platform launched by Govt. to enhance the monitoring, transparency and efficiency of food-grain storage depots & warehouses under PDS.Key features of Depot Darpan: a. Depot/warehouse managers upload geo-tagged data regarding infrastructure, operations, and financial performance of the depot. b. Portal uses a composite scoring system, assessing depots on two broad categories: infrastructure (safety, storage conditions, technology use, compliance) and operational parameters (stock turnover, losses, space utilisation, manpower costs etc.). c. Based on the scores, each depot receives a star rating, which is meant to provide a quick assessment of depot performance. d. Validation of data is built into the process via 100% supervisory officer verification and some random third-party audits to ensure reliability. e. All the FCI’s owned and hired warehouses are covered under Depot Darpan portal. (iii) Silos-Scientific Storage of Foodgrains: Silo storage represents a highly mechanized .and modern method of bulk foodgrains storage, ensuring superior preservation and enhanced shelf life. It requires less land area, lowers transit and overhead costs, reduces manpower requirements and ensures consistent quality through scientific .handling and storage practices. Under this initiative, steel silos with a capacity of 33.75 LMT are already operational. (iv) Anna Chakra" Inter-state Route optimization tool:- Inter-state movement optimization has been undertaken to streamline and enhance the interstate movement operations of foodgrains, primarily by rail, undertaken by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) (v) CCTV and advance technologies:- This technologies transform depot operations by ensuring real-time visibility, timely intervention, data-driven decision-making and standardized operations across all depots. (c): Presently, there are 20,509 Fair Price Shops in the State of Karnataka, out of which 1,773 are operating in Bengaluru. Rice, ragi and jowar are distributed under Public Distribution System (PDS). (d) & (e): The requirement of Storage capacity i.e. construction of new warehouses/silos depends upon the level of procurement, requirement of buffer norms and PDS operations. The Government continuously assesses and monitors the storage gap. Based on the assessment, storage capacities are created/hired across country including Karnataka through FC:I/Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) under following schemes: -1. Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme 11. Construction of Silos under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode Iii. Hiring of godown from Central warehousing Corporation (CWC)/State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs)/State Agencies IV. Hiring of godown through Private Warehousing Scheme (PWS). V. Creation ofgodowns on FC:1’s owned land under Asset Monetization No proposal to include more commodities under the NFS A is under consideration of the Govt. ScR$( ScScSeANNEXIJ RE List of State and Central digital portals used for the procurement of Ragi, Paddy and Jowar' S.No Portal Name Purpose State Portals 1 r Procurement-Farmer Management System-State I registration, Grading, Procurement, Procurement Portal I Movement of stock, inventory and farmer payments 2 FRUITS- Farmer Registration and To fetch farmer land and crop details for MSP Unified beneficiary Information farmer registration System 3 Karnataka State DBT Portal To transfer farmer payments through DBT for procurement under MSP Central Portals 1 c procurement and Portal I Payments are sent to CFPP 2 CFSc ietails are sent to CFSP 3 PCSAP- Procurement Center Self- Procurement centers operation under MSP Assessment Portal schemes are assessed in PCSAP portal 4 PFMS-Public Financial Management Farmer Payment data (MIS) is synced with System PFMS after payment from State DBT portal