Context: Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government mandated GPS-equipped vehicles for transporting foodgrains from Food Corporation India depots to fair price shops to prevent diversion, irregularities, and theft in Public Distribution System.
More on the News:
- The move aim to ensure transparency across the entire supply chain from government procurement to storage depots through strong intent and smart systems.
- GPS tracking has also been made mandatory during paddy procurement in the 2025-26 Kharif marketing season.
Key highlights:
- Complete digital surveillance: The Food and Civil Supplies Department has engaged over 5,000 vehicles to enables real-time tracking of transportation from the FCI depots to fair price shops
- The control system will record details such as vehicle movement, stoppages, route deviations, and timely arrival continuously.
- Single Stage Door Step Delivery model: The state has discontinued the block-level godown system and implemented the Single Stage Door Step Delivery model.
- Under this system, foodgrains are transported directly from FCI depots to fair price shops through contractors appointed via e-tendering, minimizing human intervention and enhancing accountability.
- Significance: The system will lead to a significant reduction in diversion, manipulation, and black marketing of foodgrains during transit.
- The GPS-based monitoring will also ensure that these commodities reach beneficiaries on time, without any quantity cuts.
