States » NorthPosted at: Sep 23 2026 11:53PM


Haryana PDS goes fully digital: Minister Rajesh Nagar declares war on ration leakage

Panchkula, Sep 23 (UNI) In a sweeping overhaul that turns the Public Distribution System from a leaky pipeline into a digitally sealed delivery network, Haryana Minister of State for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rajesh Nagar announced on Wednesday that the state is prioritising technology, transparency and accountability to ensure that not a single grain meant for the poor is diverted, delayed or diluted.
Addressing a direct interaction with ration depot holders at the PWD Rest House here, Nagar served notice that the era of manual opacity is ending.
New ration depots will soon be allotted across the state to strengthen last-mile access, while the margins payable to depot holders will be credited directly to their bank accounts between the 1st and 5th of every month, removing the need for them to chase payments through government corridors.
Haryana, he asserted, is the first state in the country to provide the highest margin to depot holders, a move designed to make the network financially viable without making it corruptible.
The minister framed the reform as part of a larger national welfare architecture. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 80 crore beneficiaries across India are receiving free ration, while in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini's administration is ensuring that over 40 lakh beneficiaries are covered.
But coverage alone is not the goal, Nagar warned; integrity of delivery is. He made it clear that the government supplies ration to every depot holder entirely free of cost, and no transportation, loading or unloading charges are to be collected from them.
If any transporter or contractor demands payment, depot holders can lodge complaints on telephone numbers 0172-2741547 and 0172-2790255, and immediate action will follow against the offender.
With 110 ration depots operating in Panchkula district alone, Nagar placed the burden of proof squarely on the depot holders. He told them they are the frontline sentinels of the system and must ensure that every ration cardholder receives the full quantity of food grains to which they are entitled.
The government has already equipped all depots with new machines and electronic weighing scales, and Nagar stressed that these devices must be used rigorously to prevent short-changing of beneficiaries and to close any gaps where diversion could occur.
The minister also imposed strict operational discipline. Depot holders were directed to keep their outlets open according to prescribed government timings: in summer, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM; in winter, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
He ordered that signboards be displayed mandatorily so beneficiaries can locate distribution points without confusion, and he insisted on regular cleanliness of depot premises to prevent contamination of food grains.
Nagar did not limit his warnings to depot holders. He turned the scrutiny upstream, directing departmental officials to ensure that ration is supplied to depot holders only after proper weighing, matching the exact quantity against the number of cardholders attached to each depot.
From next month, sugar will be distributed in one-kilogram packets to standardise measurement and curb manipulation. He issued a stark warning that strict action will be taken against any contractor or official caught supplying less than the prescribed quantity, signalling that the reform hammer will strike both ends of the supply chain.
District Food and Supplies Controller Jatin Mittal detailed the technological backbone of the new regime. Under Smart PDS, a connected weighing system has been integrated with new 5G-enabled e-PoS machines, hardwiring transparency into both weighing and distribution.
The upgrade has sharply reduced the possibility of ration diversion and created a real-time digital audit trail that leaves little room for the middleman's sleight of hand.
The event also heard suggestions and grievances from depot holders, which Nagar said would feed into further streamlining of the system.
Former Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, District President Ajay Mittal, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Haryana Shivalik Development Board Om Prakash Devinagar and Additional Director Raj Kumar Saini were present on the occasion.
UNI KK RN
Tags: #Haryana PDS goes fully digital: Minister Rajesh Nagar declares war on ration leakage
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