Haryana to have ‘grain ATMs’ across state

The Haryana government is planning to install “grain ATMs” across all the government-run ration depots to ensure speedy and transparent distribution of wheat, rice and millet among the eligible ration card holders

The Haryana government is planning to install “grain ATMs” across all the government-run ration depots to ensure speedy and transparent distribution of wheat, rice and millet among the eligible ration card holders.

Representational image (AFP)

Already, as a pilot project, and in what the government says “country’s first grain ATM” has become functional in Farrukhnagar of Gurugram.

“The grain banks will function on the lines of ATM system, and the consumer will be able to fetch food grains from the machine with the press of a button,” deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, who also holds the portfolio of food and civil supplies, said in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

He said that after the successful completion of this pilot project at Farrukhnagar, there is a plan to install such food grain supply machines at government depots across the state.

The deputy CM said these machines will prove helpful in distributing food grains to the government depot operators and also save their time. The grain ATMs will be installed under the World Food Programme of United Nation and is called automated, multi commodity, grain dispensing machine.

It is equipped with biometric system and a touch screen. The beneficiary has to enter the Aadhar card or ration card unique number. On biometric authentication, the food grains prescribed by the government to the beneficiaries will be automatically filled in the bags installed under the machine. Three types of grains wheat, rice and millet can be distributed through this machine.

Dushyant said with the installation of ‘grain ATMs’, complaints regarding long queues and ration quantity will be redressed.

“The objective of installing this machine is to ensure that the right quantity should reach the right beneficiary, besides the transparency in the public food distribution system,” said Dushyant.