Odisha Introduces First 24/7 'Grain ATM' for PDS Beneficiaries

Odisha has got its first "Grain ATM" which will allow public distribution system (PDS) beneficiaries to access their entitlement 24x7. An official statement said the Annapurti 'Grain ATM' was inaugurated in Bhubaneswar by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.

He was flanked by Nozomi Hashimoto, the deputy country director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in India. Describing the grain dispensing machine as a significant initiative in partnership with the WFP, Patra said it will help achieve nutritional security in the state.

The ATMs will be set up across the state in due course to provide food grains to beneficiaries with 24x7 access under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the minister said. He also said at least one such facility will be set up in each district, and then, one in each block of the state.

On his part, Hashimoto said Odisha presents a success story with global relevance. We are humbled to see the Annapurti solution, a made-in-India globally awarded solution operational in many states, evolving to add more functionalities and features based on a year-long pilot and testing, he said.

Anyone with a valid PDS ration card, regardless of the state and union territory (UT), can access their entitlement by authenticating their biometric, the statement said, adding that the machine can dispense grain up to 50 kg in five minutes, with an error rate of 0.01 per cent.