Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 welcomed the Union Cabinet's approval of ₹25,530 crore for SARTHAK-PDS Phase-2, calling it a historic decision that will strengthen food security for more than 81 crore needy citizens across India. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, CM Yogi described the cabinet decision as 'ऐतिहासिक निर्णय' (a historic decision) that will further consolidate the food security of over 81 crore deserving citizens. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi, stating the move gives 'new energy to the resolve of delivering food with dignity to the person standing in the last row' — a phrase invoking the principle of last-mile welfare delivery.

The approved scheme, SARTHAK-PDS Phase-2, is designed to integrate artificial intelligence and modern technologies into the Public Distribution System (PDS), making it more transparent, accountable, and citizen-centric, according to the post.

Policy Backdrop

India's Public Distribution System is the world's largest food subsidy network, operating under the framework of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) enacted in 2013, which legally entitles over 80 crore people to subsidised food grains. The NFSA represented a landmark shift from welfare as discretionary policy to welfare as a legal right.

Since 2012, successive initiatives have sought to computerise PDS operations and link ration cards with Aadhaar biometric data to reduce leakages and improve targeting. The broader Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) architecture, expanded significantly after 2014, forms the technological spine on which schemes like SARTHAK-PDS are built. Phase-2 represents a deepening of this trajectory by incorporating AI-driven tools for monitoring and accountability.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are the more than 81 crore individuals enrolled under the PDS — a population that spans urban and rural households across every state, with a significant share residing in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. For these households, subsidised grains under the NFSA constitute a critical nutritional safety net.

State governments, including Uttar Pradesh, will be key implementation partners, responsible for integrating the new technology layer with existing ration card databases and fair-price shop networks. Improved AI-based monitoring is expected to reduce diversion of food grains and ensure allocations reach intended recipients more reliably.

What's Next

Attention will now shift to state-level rollout timelines and the pace at which SARTHAK-PDS Phase-2 infrastructure is integrated with existing beneficiary databases. Independent assessments of leakage reduction and last-mile delivery improvements will be closely watched as benchmarks for the scheme's effectiveness.

The ₹25,530 crore outlay signals sustained central commitment to technology-led welfare reform. Whether AI integration translates into measurable gains in PDS efficiency — particularly for the most marginalised beneficiaries — will determine the programme's long-term legacy.