Discuss how SARTHAK-PDS and its components seek to strengthen last-mile delivery under NFSA.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 guarantees subsidised foodgrains. That right only becomes real at the Fair Price Shop (FPS), where grain reaches the beneficiary. SARTHAK-PDS is the umbrella scheme that will run till 31 March 2031. It pays for and digitises this final step, building on ePoS devices that already cover 99.8% of FPSs [1].

Last-mile gaps it targets

• Grain movement from depots to FPSs, dealer viability, duplicate cards and weak grievance redress [1].
• Parliament asked that migrant-heavy districts get assured stocks [3].

How the components strengthen delivery

• Funding pillar: it pays for intra-State movement, handling and FPS dealer margins. This keeps shops viable as portability changes how many people they serve [1].
• SMART-PDS: one central system that links ration cards, distribution, supply chain and grievances. Together with the central repository of NFSA beneficiaries, it lets one State's FPS serve another State's cardholder [1][2].
• NIRMAL: data architecture and analytics for Rightful Targeting. It flags and deletes duplicate or ineligible records, which cuts inclusion errors [1].
• SAKSHAM: real-time data integration, including Vehicle Location Tracking, to stop grain being diverted on the way to shops [1].
• Citizen interface: the Mera Ration app in 13 languages, with a GPS-based FPS locator, plus transparency portals and toll-free helplines [1].
• Scale: over 233 crore portability transactions and over 614 LMT of foodgrains; 91% e-KYC [1].

Challenges that remain

• Biometric failure: fingerprint checks often fail for elderly persons and manual labourers, and poor network connectivity stops sales [4].
• Unverified tail: about 9% of beneficiaries are not yet e-KYC verified, and the deadlines have been extended several times [1][2].
• Stock mismatch: each FPS's stock is planned for its local cardholders, so city shops serving many migrants can run out. Tracking tools alone do not move grain [3].
• Coverage freeze: coverage is capped using Census 2011 data (about 81.35 crore people), and 80.6 crore are already identified. Better delivery cannot add people who are left off the list [2].

SARTHAK-PDS moves PDS from only financing grain to actively managing its final journey with data. To deliver the NFSA's promise, it needs:

• backup authentication (OTP, iris or a nominee);
• stock planning for migrant-heavy districts;
• the nationwide SMART-PDS rollout with better grievance redress that the 2026 Standing Committee recommended [4].

Done together, these steps would advance Article 47 and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).