Ender2025 | India Strengthens Food Security and Farmer Welfare

As 2025 draws to a close, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has reinforced India’s food security architecture through continued free grain distribution, robust procurement, digital transformation, and innovative supply chain efficiencies, ensuring that no vulnerable household goes hungry while supporting millions of farmers.

PMGKAY: Shielding the Vulnerable with Free Grains

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), launched to mitigate COVID-induced hardships, continued its pivotal role in 2025. Extended for five years from January 1, 2024, the scheme provides free foodgrains to approximately 80 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), covering Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Households (PHH). Against the intended coverage of 81.35 crore persons, nearly the entire target population now receives rice, wheat, and nutri-cereals at no cost, removing the earlier subsidised rates of Rs 3/kg for rice, Rs 2/kg for wheat, and Rs 1/kg for coarse grains.

Robust Allocations for Welfare Schemes

For 2025-26, the department allocated a total of 608.16 lakh tonnes of foodgrains across various schemes. Under NFSA’s Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), 554.99 lakh tonnes were earmarked, including 99.42 lakh tonnes for AAY, 429.48 lakh tonnes for PHH, and 26.09 lakh tonnes for Tide Over allocations. Other welfare schemes received 51.65 lakh tonnes, with 22.31 lakh tonnes for PM Poshan, 23.05 lakh tonnes for the Wheat-Based Nutrition Programme under ICDS, 5.72 lakh tonnes for welfare institutions and hostels, and smaller quantities for adolescent girls and Annapurna schemes. Additional allocations for festivals and calamities stood at 1.52 lakh tonnes.

Digital Reforms Transforming TPDS

The Targeted Public Distribution System witnessed near-complete digitisation in 2025. All ration cards and beneficiary data under NFSA are now digitised across states and UTs, with details of 20.55 crore ration cards covering 79.8 crore beneficiaries available on transparency portals. Aadhaar seeding reached over 99.9%, while 99.8% of the country’s 5.51 lakh Fair Price Shops are automated with electronic Point of Sale devices. More than 98% of distribution transactions are now Aadhaar-authenticated, ensuring leak-proof and transparent delivery.

The department launched ASHA, an AI-driven grievance redressal platform under the IndiaAI Mission. Leveraging Bhashini’s multilingual capabilities, WhatsApp, and IVRS, ASHA captures post-distribution feedback, applies sentiment analysis, and auto-routes complaints for swift resolution.

One Nation One Ration Card: Empowering Migrants

The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan achieved nationwide coverage, enabling portability across all 36 states and UTs for 79.8 crore NFSA beneficiaries. Since its inception in August 2019, over 195.9 crore portability transactions have delivered more than 464.7 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of foodgrains. In the first ten months of 2025 alone, 32.6 crore transactions distributed around 64 LMT, with monthly portability now exceeding 3.2 crore transactions under PMGKAY.

Efficient Movement and Modern Storage

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) moved 9,527 rakes carrying 283.30 LMT of foodgrains, supplemented by 63.69 LMT via road and 206 containerised rakes, saving Rs 3.01 crore in freight. Multi-modal transportation, including coastal shipping, shifted 0.22 LMT to regions like Kerala, Karnataka, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Steel silo capacity expanded significantly under PPP mode. Operational silos now stand at 25.75 LMT (5.50 LMT under circuit model and 20.25 LMT under railway/road-fed). Under the Hub and Spoke model, Phase-I tenders for 34.875 LMT were awarded, with 3.75 LMT completed and 31.125 LMT under construction; Phase-II added 25.125 LMT at 54 locations. Pilot rice silos of 12,500 MT each were built in Bihar’s Kaimur and Buxar.

Digital monitoring advanced with the Depot Darpan portal for FCI and CWC depots, featuring geo-tagged data, IoT sensors, CCTV integration, and star ratings based on infrastructure and operations. The Central Warehousing Corporation launched Bhandaran 360, an ERP integrating 41 modules and 35 external systems.

Supporting Farmers Through Procurement

Procurement remained farmer-centric. During the Rabi Marketing Season 2025-26, 300.35 LMT of wheat benefited 25.13 lakh farmers. The Kharif Marketing Season 2024-25 saw 832.17 LMT of paddy procured for 1.18 crore farmers, while ongoing KMS 2025-26 recorded 243.48 LMT benefiting 21.22 lakh farmers till November 17.

Coarse grains and millet procurement grew steadily: 7.37 lakh MT in 2022-23, 12.55 lakh MT in 2023-24, 11.72 lakh MT in 2024-25, and 0.64 lakh MT (ongoing) in 2025-26. Jute packaging allocation reached 20.95 lakh bales for the KMS 2025-26 central pool and 5.20 lakh bales for the Rabi crop.

To curb hoarding, wheat stock limits imposed in May and revised in August remained effective till April 30, 2026 – 2,000 MT for traders/wholesalers, 8 MT per outlet for retailers, capped totals for big chain retailers, and 60% of monthly installed capacity for processors.

Food Subsidy and Market Interventions

Food subsidy release totalled Rs 1.99 lakh crore in FY 2024-25 and Rs 1.37 lakh crore (till November 26) in FY 2025-26 against a Rs 2.03 lakh crore allocation. FCI received Rs 1.29 lakh crore in 2024-25 and Rs 86,517 crore in 2025-26, while DCP states got Rs 70,410 crore and Rs 50,391 crore, respectively.

Under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic), Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice continued affordable supply through NAFED, NCCF, and Kendriya Bhandar. Phase-III (up to June 2026) allocated 5 LMT each, with revised MRPs from November 1. Additional sales included 31.71 LMT rice to states/community kitchens, 33.06 LMT to ethanol distilleries, and 24.45 LMT wheat to private parties/Bharat Atta.

The Credit Guarantee Scheme for e-NWR based Pledge Financing, with a Rs 1,000 crore corpus till 2030-31, onboarded 40 banks by November 30, issuing 95 guarantees worth Rs 22.88 crore, prioritising small and marginal farmers, women, and SC/ST categories.

Supply Chain Optimisation: Anna Chakra

The Anna Chakra route optimisation initiative, developed with IIT-Delhi and the UN World Food Programme, completed assessments in 31 states, projecting annual savings of Rs 250 crore (Rs 238 crore already reported). Inter-state optimisation integrated with Railways’ FOIS and the Gati Shakti platform reduced distances by up to 50% and CO2 emissions by up to 35%. Tools were provided to states and FCI for automated decision-making.

Sugar Sector and Ethanol Blending

The sugar industry supported 5 crore farmer families and 5 lakh mill workers, with output exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore annually. Cane dues clearance reached 99.9% for earlier seasons and 98% (Rs 1,00,501 crore paid against Rs 1,02,687 crore) for 2024-25.

Ethanol distillation capacity rose to 1,953 crore litres by October 31, achieving 19.24% blending in ESY 2024-25. Revenue of over Rs 1.29 lakh crore in the last decade improved mill liquidity and farmer payments while creating Rs 42,000 crore in investments. Digitisation advanced with the NSWS module for compliances, monthly data from 535 mills, and the Chini Darpan portal for transparent quota release.

As 2025 ended, the department’s efforts have fortified food security, empowered farmers, and embraced technology, aligning with the vision of an inclusive and efficient public distribution system.