SRINAGAR: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Satish Sharma on Thursday said that the Smart Public Distribution System (Smart PDS) will become operational across Jammu and Kashmir by mid-August 2025.
Chairing a review meeting on the implementation status, Sharma said that JK is set to become the first Union Territory in the country to fully migrate to the Smart PDS under the national Ration Card Management System (RCMS) framework, as per directions from the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
He said the system would benefit over 25 lakh ration card holders and around 1.02 crore beneficiaries, bringing transparency, efficiency and portability to food grain distribution services across the UT.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary FCS&CA, Saurabh Bhagat, senior officers, and technical teams associated with the project. Officials informed that the Smart PDS is currently in the testing phase and is being optimised to accommodate various categories of beneficiaries, including SAAY, NFSA, and PMSES.
Under the Smart PDS and One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) framework, beneficiaries from J&K will be able to access their entitled rations anywhere in the country, and migrants from other states will be able to do the same within JK.
The Minister was informed that the distribution will be conducted using Aadhaar-enabled Point of Sale (PoS) machines of L1 configuration, equipped with 4G connectivity, to improve delivery, storage efficiency and reduce transportation costs. Beneficiaries will also be able to use mobile applications like Mera Ration and Annapurna to track their ration quotas in real time.
Sharma clarified that allied services such as ration distribution and Ayushman Bharat will remain unaffected during the transition. He directed officers to complete testing at the earliest, conduct training for Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers, and launch an extensive public awareness campaign to ensure smooth implementation.
He emphasised that the success of the system would depend on ensuring accessibility in even the most remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
