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Cabinet approves continuation of Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Fast Track Special Courts for further three years

Published By : Admin | November 29, 2023 | 15:53 IST

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of Fast Track Special Court (FTSCs) as, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) from 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2026 with financial implication of Rs. 1952.23 crore (Rs. 1207.24 crore as Central Share and Rs. 744.99 crore as State share). Central Share is to be funded from Nirbhaya Fund. The Scheme was launched on 02.10.2019.

The government's unwavering priority towards ensuring the safety and security of women and children is evident through several initiatives, such as the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' programme. Incidents involving the rape of girl child and women have deeply impacted the nation. The frequency of such incidents and the prolonged trials of offenders necessitated the establishment of a dedicated court system capable of expediting trials and delivering immediate relief to victims of sexual offenses. Consequently, the Central Government enacted the "The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act. 2018," which included stringent punishment, including the death penalty for rape offenders, leading to the creation of the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs).

FTSCs, designed as dedicated courts, are expected to ensure swift dispensation of justice, offering quick relief to victims while strengthening the deterrence framework for sexual offenders.

The Union of India formulated a Centrally Sponsored Scheme to establish FTSCs for the timely disposal of cases related to rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) in August 2019. Following the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in suo moto Writ Petition (Criminal) No.1/2019 dated 25.07.2019, the scheme mandated the establishment of exclusive POCSO Courts for districts with over 100 POCSO Act cases. Initially commenced in October 2019 for one year, the scheme was extended for an additional two years until 31.03.2023. Now, it has been further extended until 31.03.2026, with a financial outlay of Rs. 1952.23 crore, with the Central Share funded from the Nirbhaya Fund.

Implemented by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of FTSCs augments State Government resources for establishing FTSCs across the country, ensuring the swift disposal of cases related to rape and the POCSO Act.

Thirty States/Union Territories have participated in the Scheme, operationalizing 761 FTSCs, including 414 exclusive POCSO Courts, which have resolved over 1,95,000 cases. These courts support State/UT Government efforts to provide timely justice to victims of sexual offenses. even in remote and far-flung areas.

The expected outcomes of the scheme are:

  • Reflect the nation's commitment to ending sexual and gender-based violence.
  • Substantially reduce pending cases of Rape & POCSO Act, relieving the burden on the judicial system.
  • Ensure swift access to justice for victims of sexual crimes through improved facilities and expedited trials.
  • Lessen the burden of cases to a manageable number.
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Cabinet approves integration and continuation of two schemes under umbrella scheme SARTHAK-PDS
May 27, 2026
Centre to spend Rs. 25,530 crore in next 5 years for SARTHAK PDS
Continuation of schemes to ensure last-mile delivery of Food grains with higher FPS Dealers’ commission
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of the “Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS” (SARTHAK PDS) as an umbrella scheme, in the 16th Finance Commission cycle award period, with an outlay of Rs. 25,530 crore as Central share.

The CCEA has also decided to revise the norms of Central assistance for meeting expenditure incurred by States/UTs intra-state movement & handling of foodgrains and FPS dealers’ margin and continuation of the existing funding pattern of Central Assistance.

The Scheme is conceived as an umbrella scheme integrating the ongoing schemes: (i) “Assistance to State Agencies for intra-State movement of foodgrains and FPS dealers’ margin under NFSA” and (ii) “Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART PDS)” to comprehensively strengthen implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).

SARTHAK-PDS Scheme aims to provide (a) assured financial support for intra-State movement, handling and FPS dealer’s margin, and (b) a unified, citizen-centric, intelligent and interoperable PDS architecture that ensures last-mile service delivery, minimizes leakages and strengthens the nation’s commitment to food security under NFSA, with the merged scheme to operate up to 31.03.2031.

SARTHAK-PDS Scheme seeks to modernize, integrate and intelligently optimize PDS operations through advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Blockchain, by creating standardized architectures and unified databases for real-time monitoring, AI-driven grievance and analytics systems, State Command Control Centres for data-driven oversight, and ISO-certified process frameworks to ensure transparency, security and sustainability in PDS operations.

Government of India has a social & legal commitment to the people of the nation - a dignified life by ensuring them access to food and nutritional security through the availability of adequate quantities of quality food grains. The Scheme will work towards fulfilling the Government of India's commitment to 81.35 crore persons covered under NFSA. Building on the statutory and policy framework, SARTHAK-PDS retains and streamlines the financial assistance component while simultaneously embedding it within a modern, technology-driven PDS ecosystem.

Over the past decade, the Government has implemented multiple digitization initiatives such as End-to-End Computerization of TPDS, Integrated Management of PDS (IM-PDS) and SMART PDS, along with citizen-facing applications like Mera Ration, Anna Mitra, Rightful Targeting Dashboard and Anna Sahayata, and since 1st April 2023, the SMART PDS scheme has acted as the cornerstone of technology-led reforms by enabling complete digitization of ration cards, Aadhaar seeding, FPS automation through e-PoS, online allocation and computerized supply-chain management across 36 States/UTs.