Smart PDS in India: Digital Governance for Efficiency, Transparency and Empowerment

Page No.: 85-90

Abstract

The SMART PDS project has revolutionized the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India by enhancing efficiency, transparency, and customer empowerment. This study looks at the digital reforms that were implemented between 2024 and 2026, such as the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) program, electronic point-of-sale(e-POS) implementation, and Aadhaar authentication. Secondary data from government publications and policy briefs were analysed by a hybrid qualitative- quantitative approach to assess the operational results. A total of 20.4crore ration cards has been digitized, 99.8% beneficiaries have been seeded with Aadhaar till so far, 5.33 lakh e-POS devices have been set up,5.8 crore duplicate cards have been removed and daily transactions in Assam have surpassed 35 lakhs. By integrating with PM Gati Shakti, the economic and environmental benefits of digital supply chains were accentuated with a savings of RS 112 crore per year. However, problems of digital, infrastructure and harmonization at the state level remain. The study concludes that SMART PDS can be viewed as a technological innovation and a governance innovation, and is relevant to other welfare distributions system globally.