Punjab State Food Commission explores AI integration to strengthen Food Security Act implementation
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, June 27, 2026: The Punjab State Food Commission on Saturday held an interactive session with Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert Nipun Syal to explore the use of emerging technologies for improving the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 and enhancing the Commission's overall functioning.
Chairing the session, Commission Chairman Bal Mukand Sharma said the Commission is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the NFSA, addressing grievances and advising the state government on policy improvements. He said the Commission aims to leverage AI to enable real-time, data-driven monitoring and improve transparency and efficiency.
During the session, AI expert Nipun Syal outlined how AI-powered analytics could help analyse daily electronic Point of Sale (e-POS) transaction data from Fair Price Shops to identify anomalies such as low foodgrain dispatches, inactive outlets and discrepancies between allocations and distribution, enabling timely intervention.
He also highlighted the potential of machine learning models to improve beneficiary data by identifying duplicate records and inclusion or exclusion errors through secure verification with authenticated databases.
Syal further said AI-enabled multilingual chatbots and Punjabi voice assistants could facilitate round-the-clock grievance registration, making the public distribution system more accessible and citizen-centric.
Among those present were Commission Members Jasvir Singh Sekhon, Vijay Dutt, Chetan Parkash Dhaliwal, and Member Secretary Kanu Thind.