To strengthen the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Central Government has decided to continue the 'Sardhak-PDS' scheme till March 31, 2031. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by PM Modi has allocated a budget of Rs. 25,530 crore for this scheme. Through this scheme, the transportation costs of food grains of the states will be borne, commission margins of ration dealers will be regularized, and advanced technologies like AI, ML, NLP, Blockchain will be used to check leakages. This will benefit about 81.35 crore beneficiaries under NFSA.