Centre to launch Depot Darpan portal on May 20 to ensure food storage quality
New Delhi: The government said on Thursday it will launch the Depot Darpan portal and mobile application on May 20, with an objective to ensure that the food storage depots meet the highest quality and performance standards.
The move will enable depot managers to evaluate infrastructure, operational and financial performance on a near real-time basis, said the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD).
A total of around 2,278 warehouses including those owned by FCI and CWC and those hired from state agencies/private will be onboarded in this digital initiative.
Depot Darpan portal and mobile application will be formally inaugurated by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, on May 20.
According to the government, in this initiative, depot managers upload geo-tagged inputs of the infrastructure available in their depot, generating automated ratings and action points for timely improvements. The system ensures 100 per cent validation by the supervisory officers and random third-party audits.
The warehouses are assessed based on two main categories: infrastructural aspects which include safety standards, storage conditions, environmental, technology adoption and statutory parameters and operational efficiency aspects which include stock turnover, losses, space utilization, manpower expenses, and profitability.
Each category is evaluated independently, and the warehouse receives a Star rating based on the composite scoring from both parameters.
Depot Darpan is uniquely integrated with smart warehousing technologies, creating a seamless digital monitoring ecosystem that includes: CCTV Surveillance and IoT sensors, monitoring key parameters such as Carbon dioxide and Phosphine levels, fire hazards, humidity, unauthorised entry and temperature in real time thereby, ensuring security and efficiency in food grain storage.
According to the Department, the IoT-enabled monitoring includes ambient sensor, carbon dioxide, phosphine gas sensor, gate shutter sensor and fire/smoke sensor.
In addition, AI based technology for bag counting, ANPR (Automatic Number plate Recognition) for vehicle identification and tracking, and face recognition technology (FRS) for access control and security are also deployed in warehouses on pilot basis.
Depot Darpan mobile app allows supervisory officials to track warehouse performance anytime, anywhere, supporting better decision making. Automated reports are used in regular reviews, leading to continuous and seamless improvements in infrastructure and efficiency.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
IREDA successfully raises Rs 2,005.90 crore via QIP to boost green financing
Representative image NEW DELHI: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) has successfully raised Rs 2,005.90 crore through a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP), said a statement from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on Wednesday. The capital was mobilised by issuing 12.15 crore equity shares at a price of Rs 165.14 per share, which includes a premium of Rs 155.14 per share over the face value of Rs 10. The issue price of Rs 165.14 reflects a discount of 5.00% to the floor price of Rs 173.83 per equity share. Launched on June 5, 2025, the QIP issue closed on June 10, 2025, receiving an encouraging response from a diverse set of both domestic and foreign qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) including insurance companies, scheduled commercial banks and foreign portfolio investors. The Board has approved allotment of equity shares to eligible qualified institutional buyers in its meeting held today i.e. June 11, 2025. The QIP was oversubscribed with bids amounting to Rs 2,005.90 crore against the base issue size of Rs 1,500 crore, achieving a subscription of 1.34 times. The capital raised through this successful issue will further strengthen IREDA's Tier-I capital and overall Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), enhancing the company's capacity to support the expanding renewable energy sector in India. Reflecting on this achievement, Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director, IREDA, said: "The successful completion of this QIP in a short span after our IPO in November 2023 is a testament to the trust and confidence the investor community and the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy have reposed in IREDA. This capital infusion will empower us to scale up our financing activities, enabling greater investments in renewable energy projects and accelerating India's transition towards a greener and sustainable energy future." CMD, IREDA expressed his gratitude to Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of New & Renewable Energy, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution; Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy; Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE; Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM); and the Board of Directors for their support and invaluable guidance. IREDA extended its gratitude to all institutional investors and stakeholders for their continued support, reaffirming its commitment to leading the country's clean energy financing initiatives. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Centre halves basic customs duty on imported crude edible oils to 10%
New Delhi: The government has cut the basic customs duty (BCD) on imported crude edible oils from 20% to 10%. This move, announced on Wednesday, aims to lower retail prices for consumers and will impact sunflower, soybean and palm oils. According to a statement by the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, this reduction comes in response to rising global prices and follows a previous BCD hike in September 2024. "Import duty on edible oils is one of the important factors that impacted landed cost of edible oils and thereby domestic prices. By lowering the import duty on crude oils, the government aims to reduce the landed cost and retail prices of edible oils, providing relief to consumers and helping to cool overall inflation. The reduced duty will also encourage domestic refining and maintain fair compensation for farmers," said the statement. The reduction is also aimed at incentivising the refining of crude edible oils in India by widening the import duty differential between crude and refined oils from 8.75% to 19.25% and making crude edible oil imports easier than the imports of refined products. The government has also asked industry stakeholders to pass on benefits to consumers immediately. "Industry stakeholders are expected to adjust the Price to Distributors (PTD) and the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) in accordance with the lower landed costs with immediate effect," the statement said. "A meeting with leading Edible Oil Industry Associations and industry was held under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India and advisory was issued to them to pass on the benefits from this duty reduction on to consumers," the statement added. The government has also asked the industry to implement these measures and send revised maximum retail prices for each brand to the government on a weekly basis, according to the statement. The industry is of the view that the decision will protect the sector from influx of refined oils imports, causing capacity injury to the vegetable oil sector. According to Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA), the move will not just strengthen the domestic refining capacities of Indian refiners but also ensure fair price to oilseed farmers and a fair price to the consumers. According to IVPA data, imports of refined palm oil surged from 4.58 lakh tonnes during June–September 2024 to 8.24 lakh tonnes (representing about 30% of total palm oil imports) in the period October 2024–February 2025. Additionally, under South Asian Free Trade Area provisions of zero duty, refined oils have been flooding the Indian markets due to the huge refined oil duty advantage neighbouring countries enjoyed.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
Govt asks edible oil industry to pass tax cut benefits to retail users
The government had reduced the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on crude edible oils-specifically crude sunflower oil, soybean oil, and palm oil-from 20 per cent to 10 per cent on 31 May New Delhi The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) held a meeting with leading edible oil associations and industry stakeholders. An advisory was issued, instructing them to pass on the benefits of the reduced duty to consumers, said the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. The government had reduced the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on crude edible oils—specifically crude sunflower oil, soybean oil, and palm oil—from 20 per cent to 10 per cent on 31 May. This revision has widened the import duty differential between crude and refined edible oils from 8.75 per cent to 19.25 per cent. The advisory directed all stakeholders to immediately revise the Price to Distributors (PTD) and Maximum Retail Price (MRP) in accordance with the new import duty, ensuring that cost savings are transmitted across the supply chain to end consumers. PTD is the rate at which manufacturers or importers sell to distributors. It includes production costs, taxes, and distributor margins. MRP is the maximum price that can be charged to consumers, encompassing all taxes and profit margins throughout the supply chain. Weekly reporting of price adjustments Edible oil associations were advised to ensure that their members implement immediate price adjustments and share updated brand-wise MRP data with the department on a weekly basis. The DFPD also provided a standardised reporting format for revised MRP and PTD submissions. 'This decision follows a detailed review of the sharp rise in edible oil prices after last year's duty hike. The increase led to significant inflationary pressure on consumers, contributing to rising food inflation,' the government statement said. 'This adjustment (tax reduction) aims to address the escalating edible oil prices resulting from the September 2024 duty hike and concurrent increases in international market prices,' said the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. Explaining the rationale behind the revised import duty structure, the ministry stated: 'A 19.25 per cent duty differential between crude and refined oils helps encourage domestic refining capacity utilisation and reduce imports of refined oils.' Boost to domestic refining capacity This move is expected to lower the landed cost of crude edible oils, reduce retail prices, and provide relief to consumers. It also aims to promote the utilisation of domestic refining capacity, thereby curbing the import of refined oils. 'The timely transmission of this benefit through the supply chain is imperative to ensure that consumers experience a corresponding decrease in retail prices,' the ministry added.
