Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra inaugurated India’s first rice ATM in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
The machine, which has been installed at a warehouse in Mancheswar,is designed to streamline the distribution of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice.
The rice ATM allows ration cardholders to dispense up to 25 kg of rice when they enter their ration card number on a touchscreen display, followed by biometric authentication.
The new system of rice distribution aims to eliminate the need for beneficiaries to wait in long queues at traditional distribution points and is expected to significantly reduce issues related to theft and black-marketing of subsidised rice.
“We tested the rice ATM for the beneficiaries. It is the first rice ATM in India, inaugurated on a pilot basis. The goal is to ensure that beneficiaries receive rice in the correct weight, preventing any potential cheating,” Patra said.
The rice ATM will initially be introduced in Bhubaneswar, and will eventually be extended to all 30 districts of Odisha.
If successful, this model could potentially be expanded to other states under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme, allowing people from different states to access their rations through this automated system, the minister said.
