Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi on Thursday launched a nationwide Smart Warehousing System across 216 grain storage warehouses operated by the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), marking a significant step towards modernising India’s foodgrain storage and distribution infrastructure through advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Speaking at the launch event, Joshi emphasised the importance of safeguarding the country’s foodgrain reserves and ensuring efficient management of stocks intended for distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
“It is our responsibility to keep the foodgrains safe and secure,” the minister said, adding that the adoption of modern technologies would further strengthen the PDS network and contribute to national food security. He described the initiative as not only a technological upgrade but also a crucial food security measure.
Foodgrains distributed through the PDS are stored in warehouses managed by the Central Warehousing Corporation and the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The Smart Warehousing System has been introduced to enhance transparency, improve operational efficiency and prevent diversion of foodgrains meant for eligible beneficiaries.
Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said all 216 CWC warehouses have now been equipped with advanced surveillance and monitoring systems to ensure scientific storage practices and protect foodgrains from deterioration and infestation. He also announced that the Food Corporation of India plans to implement similar systems in 150 of its warehouses by October.
According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the new system integrates a range of AI and IoT-based technologies, including FASTag and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)-enabled gate automation linked with VAHAN-SARATHI databases, smart locking systems for controlled warehouse access, AI-powered bag counting, facial recognition-based quality inspections, IoT sensors for monitoring carbon dioxide and phosphine levels, and AI-driven surveillance for detecting fire, smoke and rodent activity.
The technologies are integrated with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, enabling automated record generation, real-time alerts and multi-level operational dashboards. Officials said the system will reduce manual intervention at critical operational points such as gates, weighbridges and storage godowns, while improving traceability, inventory management and oversight across the warehousing network.
On the sidelines of the event, Joshi indicated that the Centre may consider issuing up to three crore new ration cards to eligible beneficiaries following the removal of 2.21 crore ineligible beneficiaries from the PDS database by state governments. He clarified that the deletions were carried out by states based on their respective verification criteria.
Currently, the Central Government provides 5 kg of free rice or wheat every month to approximately 79 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), making efficient and transparent storage systems critical to ensuring uninterrupted foodgrain distribution across the country.
