Parliament Question: PDS in Assam

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 753 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4TH FEBRUARY, 2026 PDS IN ASSAM 753. MD. RAKIBUL HUSSAIN: Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a): whether the Government has reviewed the functioning of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Assam; (b): the number of fair price shops currently operating in Assam; (c) : whether any irregularities have been reported in the functioning of these shops; and (d): if so, the details thereof and the corrective steps taken by the Government to address such irregularities? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA) (a): Yes, the Government has reviewed the functioning of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Assam. (b): Total number of operational FPSs in the state (as of January, 2026) is 33,014. (c) and (d): No irregularities in the functioning of FPSs have been reported by the State Government of Assam. In order to maintain transparency and ensure that food grains reach only verified beneficiaries, all Fair Price Shops (FPSs) are equipped with e-PoS machines. These devices authenticate beneficiaries through biometric verification before any distribution. Any stock that remains undistributed is carried forward as the Closing Balance for the following month. The allocation as well as distribution is done through online process leaving no scope for the Fair Price Shop to misappropriate the allocated food grains through unfair means. The SMART-PDS Portal supports this entire process with online allocation generated through Integrated Aadhaar enabled Supply Chain Management (IAESCM) and deliveries recorded through the Aadhaar enabled Public Distribution System (AePDS) platform. All relevant information are available in the respective portals kScSeRScSe