- Committees to bring efficiency and transparency in PDS with SMART-PDS
Yash Khajuria
Leh, Aug 21: In a significant step toward modernizing the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Ladakh the Union Territory administration has officially constituted the State Apex Committee (SAC) and the State Project e-Mission Team (SPeMT) under the SMART-PDS initiative. This move aligns with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution’s directive for the modernization of PDS across all states and union territories from April 2023 to March 2026.
The SMART-PDS (Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System) initiative aims to overhaul the current distribution system of essential commodities, making it more efficient, transparent, and accessible to the residents of Ladakh, particularly in remote and challenging areas.
The State Apex Committee, chaired by the Advisor to the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, will play a crucial role in guiding the strategic direction of the initiative. The committee’s members include the Administrative Secretary of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS & CA), the Director of Accounts & Treasuries, the Director of the FCS & CA Department, and the State Informatics Officer of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Ladakh.
In parallel, the State Project e-Mission Team, chaired by the Administrative Secretary of FCS & CA, will oversee the project’s implementation. This team comprises key officials, including the Director of FCS & CA, the Assistant Directors of Leh and Kargil, and the State Informatics Officer of NIC.
Together, these committees will monitor and evaluate the progress of the SMART-PDS initiative, ensuring that it meets its goals of enhancing the efficiency, transparency, and accessibility of the Public Distribution System in Ladakh.
This move by the UT administration is expected to significantly improve the distribution of essential commodities, particularly benefiting residents in the more isolated regions of Ladakh.
