With an aim to streamline the process of Public Distribution System (PDS) and make it more efficient, scalable and cost effective under the upcoming SMART-PDS (a technology driven initiative by Union Government), a workshop was today held on ‘Route Optimization of TDPS supply chain’ at Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Jammu.
The workshop was conducted by Director (Storage & WE), Department of Food and Public Distribution (DF&PD), Government of India, Mateshwari P. Mishra, with assistance by Shivam Sharma of UNWFP.
The workshop was hosted by Director, FCS&CA Jammu/Nodal Officer, Intra State Route Optimization, J&K, Rifat Kohli; and attended by General Manager, FCI J&K, Kaushik Das; Assistant General Manager, FCI Jammu, Chief Accounts Officer, Deputy Director(s) and Assistant Director(s) from both the Directorates of FCS&CA, Jammu and Kashmir.
During the workshop, a detailed presentation on optimized route plan viz-a-viz the already existing route involved in the Intra-State movement of goods beginning right from the FCI Godowns finally to the Fair Price Shops enroute the State warehouses/mills was given by Director (Storage & WE).
The presentation highlighted the optimized route for the entire UT of Jammu and Kashmir which would ultimately lead to reduction in transportation charges thereby bringing down the burden on the State exchequer and would also decrease the time and efforts involved in the transportation of PDS supplies.
During the course of interaction, the prospective issues that might be confronted in the actual implementation of the optimized route plan were put forth by the officers of Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, J&K and the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Director (Storage & WE) assured that the concerns raised by the participants would be duly addressed and with the hand holding from the GoI, the UT of J&K should be able to successfully implement the final route optimization plan.
Pertinently, department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), J&K is consistently working in the direction of improvement in the quality standards of food grains that are being delivered to the most vulnerable section of the society through various social security schemes of Government of India.
