New Delhi, May 1 (NationPress) The government announced on Thursday the upcoming launch of the Depot Darpan portal and mobile application set for May 20, aimed at ensuring that food storage depots maintain the highest quality and performance standards.

This initiative will empower depot managers to assess infrastructure, operational, and financial performance in nearly real-time, according to the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD).

Approximately 2,278 warehouses, including those operated by FCI and CWC as well as facilities contracted from state agencies or private entities, will be included in this digital program.

The official launch will be performed by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, on May 20.

As part of this initiative, depot managers will upload geo-tagged information about the infrastructure of their depots, leading to the generation of automated ratings and actionable points for timely enhancements. The system guarantees 100 percent validation by supervisory officers and random audits by third parties.

The warehouses will be evaluated on two principal categories: infrastructural aspects, including safety standards, storage conditions, environmental factors, technology adoption, and legal benchmarks, as well as operational efficiency, which encompasses stock turnover, losses, space utilization, labor costs, and profitability.

Each category is assessed independently, resulting in a Star rating based on the overall scoring from both parameters.

Depot Darpan is uniquely integrated with smart warehousing technologies, establishing a cohesive digital monitoring ecosystem that features CCTV surveillance and IoT sensors to monitor key parameters such as carbon dioxide and phosphine levels, fire hazards, humidity, unauthorized access, and temperature in real-time, thereby ensuring security and efficiency in food grain storage.

The Department notes that IoT-enabled monitoring includes ambient sensors, carbon dioxide and phosphine gas sensors, gate shutter sensors, and fire/smoke sensors.

Moreover, AI technologies for bag counting, ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) for vehicle identification and tracking, and facial recognition systems (FRS) for access control and security are also being piloted in these warehouses.

The Depot Darpan mobile app allows supervisory officials to monitor warehouse performance from anywhere at any time, facilitating better decision-making. Automated reports will be used in regular evaluations, ensuring ongoing and seamless improvements in infrastructure and efficiency.