A 'Smart Warehousing System' to modernise India's foodgrain storage

The Food Ministry is launching an AI- and IoT-enabled Smart Warehousing System to automate and monitor public foodgrain depots, alongside recognition of top CWC and FCI warehouses under the 'Depot Darpan' framework.

What happened

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) is launching a Smart Warehousing System for foodgrain storage at a programme on 18 June 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, to be inaugurated by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.
• The system is an integrated, technology-led solution incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), automation and analytics to improve warehouse operations and governance.
• It will support automation of gate and weighbridge operations, digital access management, intelligent monitoring of storage conditions, inventory visibility and real-time oversight via dashboards.
• The Department will felicitate the best-performing warehouses of the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) identified under the Depot Darpan assessment framework.
• The launch reflects a wider push to modernise and digitise food-security and public-storage infrastructure.

For Prelims

• Food Corporation of India (FCI): A statutory body under the Food Corporations Act, 1964, responsible for procurement, storage, movement and distribution of foodgrains and maintaining buffer/strategic stocks for the PDS.
• Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC): A PSU under the Warehousing Corporations Act, 1962 providing scientific storage/logistics; it works with state warehousing corporations.
• National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA): Provides subsidised foodgrains to ~two-thirds of the population through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS); efficient storage is central to it.
• Depot Darpan: A structured assessment and performance-monitoring framework rating warehouses on infrastructure, operations, safety, hygiene and service readiness.
• Why storage matters: Reducing post-harvest and storage losses protects buffer stocks, stabilises prices and underpins food security; modern silos and digitisation (e.g. Depot Online System) are part of the reform.
• Buffer norms: The Government maintains buffer and strategic reserves of rice and wheat as per norms set by the Cabinet Committee, drawn down via PDS and open-market sales.
• Don't confuse: The Smart Warehousing System (technology for depot management) is a governance/IT initiative, not a new procurement scheme or a change to NFSA entitlements; CWC and FCI are distinct bodies.

For Mains

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