Anna Chakra

07.12.2024

Anna Chakra

Why in the news?   

Recently, the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched ‘Anna Chakra’ and SCAN (Subsidy Claim Application for NFSA) portal.

About Anna Chakra:

• It is a Public Distribution System (PDS) Supply chain optimization tool.
• It is spearheaded by the Department of Food Public Distribution, which enhances the efficiency of the PDS logistics network across the country.
• It is developed in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT-Delhi.

Working of the Portal:

• The project leverages advanced algorithms to identify optimal routes and ensure seamless movement of food grains across supply chain nodes.
• An operation of this magnitude involves a complex supply chain, relying on multiple stakeholders starting from farmers to Fair Price Shops.
• The inter-state route optimization tool has been developed for optimization of the PDS movement between the states and it is integrated with the FOIS (Freight Operations Information System) portal of the Railways through Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP). 
• A significant milestone in this effort is the integration of the optimization tool with the PM Gati Shakti platform which now houses geo-locations of FPSs and warehouses across the states.

About SCAN (Subsidy Claim Application for NFSA) portal:

• It will provide for a single window submission of subsidy claims by states, claim scrutiny and approval by DFPD facilitating expeditious settlement process.
• The portal will ensure end-to-end workflow automation of all the processes for release and settlement of food subsidy using rule-based processing.

                                                                Source: PIB

With reference to the Anna Chakra, consider the following statements:

1. It is a Public Distribution System (PDS) Supply chain optimization tool.

2. It is developed in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT).

3. It leverages advanced algorithms to identify optimal routes and ensure seamless movement of food grains across India.

How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C.All three

D.None

Answer C