New Delhi, May 27 -- The Centre on Wednesday approved a Rs 25,530 crore umbrella scheme aimed at making India's public distribution system (PDS) more efficient, transparent and citizen-friendly, with the government seeking to reduce leakages, improve grievance redressal and ensure smoother delivery of subsidised food grains to over 81 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the continuation and integration of two existing schemes under the new "Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS" (SARTHAK-PDS), which will operate till March 31, 2031.

An official release said the sc...