SDG 2: Zero Hunger | SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Ministry of Agriculture | NITI Aayog
The WFP India Country Brief (February 2026) mentions that the World Food Programme continues its 50-year partnership with the Government of India to enhance food system efficiency, digital innovation, and climate resilience . While India operates some of the world’s largest food-based safety nets—reaching nearly 800 million people monthly—the country still faces significant nutritional challenges, ranking 107 out of 121 on the 2022 Global Hunger Index. Operational updates include the successful handover of a women-led Take Home Ration (THR) unit in Jaipur to the Rajasthan government and the international expansion of India’s Annapurti (grain ATM) solution to Nepal. Furthermore, WFP has completed supply chain optimization recommendations across 13 states, building on a first phase that generated USD 26 million in annual savings across 30 states.
Key Pillars of the WFP-India Strategic Partnership
Digital Innovation (Annapurti): Scaling the “Grain ATM” solution nationally while showcasing smart warehouse technologies at the Regional AI Impact Summit.
Social Protection for Migrants: Piloting the Unified Migration Management System in Odisha to ensure that mobile populations retain access to essential social safety nets.
Nutritional Fortification: Supporting seven states in implementing fortified rice, including the distribution of 35,626 MT of fortified blended foods in Uttar Pradesh.
Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA): Collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to consolidate a compendium of 60 best practices for winter crops like wheat and mustard.
School-Based Nutrition: Establishing nutrition gardens in 1,916 schools in Haryana, benefiting over 418,000 children through interactive learning and fortified meals.
What is the “Annapurti” Solution? Annapurti is an automated grain dispensing machine, commonly referred to as a “Grain ATM,” developed by WFP to ensure accurate, transparent, and hassle-free distribution of food grains under the Public Distribution System (PDS). The system uses biometric authentication to verify beneficiaries and dispenses the exact entitlement of grains within seconds, eliminating manual errors and siphoning by intermediaries. Originally piloted in India, the technology is now being scaled nationally and has been exported to neighboring countries like Nepal as a benchmark for digital social protection delivery.
Policy Relevance
The partnership represents a shift from “Food Aid” to “Systemic Resilience,” utilizing India’s leadership in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to solve complex logistics and nutritional gaps.
Optimizing the ₹2 Lakh Crore Food Subsidy: The USD 26 million savings achieved in phase one of supply chain optimization demonstrates how marginal gains in procurement linkages can free up massive resources for nutritional upgrades.
Leveraging India’s AI Leadership: Showcasing the SMART Warehouse at the Regional AI Impact Summit aligns with the India AI Governance Guidelines to use predictive analytics for national food security.
Supporting Women-Led Entrepreneurship: Handing over the Jaipur THR unit to a women-led Self-Help Group reinforces the role of local communities in managing high-tech nutritional production units.
Securing Global South South Cooperation: The expansion of Annapurti to Nepal establishes India as a “Solution Provider” for the Global South, exporting home-grown digital welfare technologies.
Climate-Proofing the Winter Harvest: The 60 best practices for climate-resilient agriculture directly support India’s goal of maintaining food production stability amidst shifting monsoon and heatwave patterns.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What ‘Nutritional Benchmarks’ from the WFP’s new knowledge product should NITI Aayog adopt to standardize the ‘locally acceptable food baskets’ across the 13.9 lakh Anganwadi centers?
Follow the full report here: WFP India Country Brief - February 2026