Anna Chakra: Food Delivery in India

A supply chain optimisation software, Anna Chakra , has been deployed in 30 out of 31 States/union territories in India in a major digital push to the Public Distribution System (PDS). Developed in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), IIT Delhi’s FITT and Department of Food and Public Distribution , this tool helps improve the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environment sustainability of grain distribution to more than 81 crore beneficiaries .

How Anna Chakra Works

The algorithms help in identifying effective routes for moving food grains. It integrates with:

• The Indian Railways’ Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) through the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) .
• The platform of PM Gati Shakti which gives geospatial data on the location of 4.37 lakh Fair Price Shops and 6,700 warehouses.

By leveraging this integration, we can do the accurate, live logistics planning and resource management down the full PDS chain.

Key Benefits

• Cost saving: Cuts down *transportation cost by ₹250 crore annually**.
• Quicker Delivery: Saving on logistics time for on-time supply of food grains.
• Environmental Impact: Reduces fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, aiding India in meeting its climate targets.
• Transparency: It enhances visibility and coordination between states and nodes along the supply chain.

Future Potential

Great example of using technology to improve public welfare systems. If it works well, in the PDS, it could be a model to ensure that there is direction of supply chains in other critical sectors leading to a more digital and efficient national logistics.