FCS&CA awaits final nod
Srinagar, Mar 23: The Jammu & Kashmir is likely to roll out a three-month ration supply scheme from the month of April, with the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) working on modalities following directions from the Government of India, officials said here on Monday.
A CAPD official said that the department has received instructions to ensure availability of ration for three months, but the proposal is still under process.
“We have received directions from the Government of India (GoI) to provide three months’ ration. The department is working on it, but things have not been finalised yet,” the official said, adding that the directions have been issued to all States and Union Territories and not only to Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the scheme is anticipated to be launched at the earliest from April. “It is expected that from next month the ration scheme can start, but final-stage meetings are yet to take place and modalities are still being worked out,” he said.
The official said the move is aimed at ensuring smoother and more efficient distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries across the Union Territory.
Regarding the quantity, he said the monthly ration entitlement will be multiplied by three and provided at once.
Meanwhile, the development comes as the Centre recently reviewed key aspects of foodgrain procurement, storage and Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms with States and Union Territories.
As per details of the meeting available with KNO, chaired by the Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution (DFPD) in New Delhi, the wheat procurement target for the upcoming Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2026–27 has been fixed at 303 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), while paddy procurement for Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025–26 (Rabi crop) has been estimated at 76 LMT (in terms of rice).
The Centre also projected procurement of around 7.79 LMT of coarse grains, including millets (Shri Anna) and ensured availability of packaging material with allocation of 7.83 lakh jute bales and 9.22 lakh HDPE bags.
Key PDS reforms discussed in the meeting included pilot distribution of improved rice with up to 10 percent broken grains, QR code tagging of foodgrain bags and expansion of digital tools like “Anna Chakra” for supply chain optimisation along with Vehicle Location Tracking System (VLTS).
Other initiatives such as Subsidy Claim Application for NFSA (SCAN), Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Smart PDS, Sarthak PDS and AI-led system “ASHA” were also reviewed.
Officials said these reforms are aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and last-mile delivery of foodgrains under the PDS.
It is important to mention, further clarity on the three-month ration scheme in J&K is expected once CAPD finalises the modalities in the coming days—(KNO)
