The Centre has directed all the states and Union Territories to complete automation of fair price shops, FPS by March 2014. Union Food Minister K V Thomas said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha that automation of FPS is part of the exercise of end-to-end computerisation of public distribution system, PDS.

There are over 5.06 lakh FPS in the country. He said, FPS automation is being undertaken in states like Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.