NEW DELHI, November 19, 2025 – In a significant move to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), the government has eliminated over two crore ineligible beneficiaries in the last four to five months. Simultaneously, it has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feedback system to gather real-time insights from beneficiaries.
The cleanup exercise aims to ensure that the benefits of the PMGKAY reach the intended recipients. Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra stated that the removal of ineligible beneficiaries and the inclusion of new, eligible individuals would lead to better targeting of the program. State governments are actively involved in adding eligible beneficiaries to the scheme.
The central government identified ineligible beneficiaries based on several parameters, including instances of deceased individuals, income tax payers, government employees, individuals owning four-wheelers, and directors of various entities. These lists were then shared with state governments for verification and subsequent deletion of names.
To further improve the scheme, the government has launched the Anna Sahayata Holistic AI Solution (ASHA). This platform enables beneficiaries to provide direct feedback on the quantity and quality of rations, as well as any payment-related issues they may encounter. The AI-driven system incorporates multilingual translation, sentiment analysis, and automated grievance categorization, presenting real-time dashboards for administrators.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi emphasized that ASHA will help the government gain granular sentiment insights at the ration shop level. This will, in turn, strengthen data-driven decision-making within the food security scheme.
The Food Secretary revealed that the AI feedback system will cost approximately Rs 5 lakh per month, a significantly lower amount than what would be required to operate a traditional call center. This innovative approach underscores the government's commitment to leveraging technology to improve governance and service delivery.
