Anna Sahayata Holistic AI Solution enables beneficiaries to share their feedback on benefit distribution through AI-enabled calls in their preferred language. File image for representation. | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution on Tuesday (Nov 18, 2025) launched several digital initiatives aimed at modernizing warehouse operations, improving supply chain efficiency and increasing transparency across the entire Public Distribution System (PDS).
A major initiative is the Anna Sahayata Holistic AI Solution (ASHA), an AI-based platform that enables beneficiaries to share feedback on benefit distribution through AI-enabled calls in their preferred language. According to the department, the platform operates at a cost of ₹5,000, which is much less than maintaining a call center to reach PDS beneficiaries.
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the programs at the event at the Bharat Mandapam. The government through ASHA said beneficiaries can report whether they have received full entitlement, quality of food grains and any difficulties they face in fair price shops.
“The system uses multilingual translation, sentiment analysis, automatic complaint categorization and real-time admin dashboards. ASHA reaches 20 thousand beneficiaries monthly across India, developed in collaboration with Wadhwani Foundation and supported by India AI Mission through Bhashini’s multilingual AI infrastructure,” the government said.
Mr. Joshi said such initiatives support the government’s mission to reduce logistics costs and minimize turnaround time. He said that the PM Gati Shakti program has synchronized various modes of transport and laid the foundation of an integrated logistics ecosystem.
Another transformation is Central Warehousing Corporation’s new enterprise resource planning platform, ‘Bhandaran 360’.
“The system was implemented ahead of schedule and integrates 41 modules covering HR, finance, marketing, inventory management, contract management, project monitoring and other core functions,” the government said in a release.
The Minister also launched the ‘Smart EXIM Warehouse System’ for container freight terminals and general warehouses. ANNA DARPAN, a new microservices-based platform that replaces the existing Depot Online System, was also launched.
“ANNA DARPAN brings together key activities such as purchasing, warehousing, movement, sales, quality control, labor management and contract monitoring into one integrated system. It serves as a single unified source of truth for both FCI and DFPD,” the government said.
Published – 18 Nov 2025 19:55 IST
