The Centre is set to expand its QR tagging system for Food Corporation of India (FCI) foodgrain bags to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha in the current marketing season, covering around 20 lakh tonnes of rice transported from milling points to distribution centres.
The expansion follows successful pilots in Andhra Pradesh for rice (December 2025–January 2026) and in Punjab for wheat (April–May 2026). "We are planning to put QR tags on foodgrain bags transported from procurement states to distribution states," a senior Food Ministry official told PTI.
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Select districts across the three states will be covered under the expanded pilot. Andhra Pradesh will account for approximately 10 lakh tonnes of QR-tagged rice, while Telangana and Odisha will contribute 5 lakh tonnes each.
The QR system lets authorities trace each bag to its procurement centre, the procuring agency, and the season it belongs to. Bags are scanned at godowns during storage and again at fair-price shops at the time of distribution.
In a parallel pilot at the distribution stage, electronic point-of-sale devices at fair-price shops will scan the QR code to identify which season's grain is being distributed a step expected to enable automatic bill generation and streamline subsidy disbursal.
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"Currently, a subsidy is given at the distribution stage. With QR tagging, we would know exactly which foodgrains are being distributed. Auto-generation of bills will be tried subsequently," the official said. The initiative aims to make the journey of every grain bag from miller to beneficiary digitally traceable, bringing greater accountability to the Public Distribution System.
