Govt to launch grain ATMs soon: Sumit Godara

Jaipur: More than 4.35 crores of beneficiaries in the state under the food security schemes may no longer need to stand in queues as the state govt is planning to install automated grain ATMs across the state, said Food and Supply minister Sumit Godara in the Assembly. Godara said the govt identified Bharatpur, Jaipur and Bikaner to install the machines as a pilot project."Named Annapurti, these machines will allow beneficiaries to withdraw their entitled quota of wheat, rice and pulses at any time. This technology has been developed in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme (WFP)," said Godara.
He said the system would be expanded statewide after the pilot phase. "Beneficiaries will be able to withdraw grain using their ration cards from these machines, regardless of which city they are in," he said.Department officials said the ATMs were designed to provide ration quickly, transparently and without manual intervention. They said the machines dispensed grain directly into beneficiaries' bags after identity verification.The move aimed to reduce waiting time, eliminate human errors in weighing, and improve transparency in the Public Distribution System (PDS).The minister added that state govt at present around Rs 1,500 crore a year after cutting down 81,61,251 beneficiaries, which is 18.64% of the total beneficiaries."We have initiated a Give Up Campaign in which 55,18,786 (12.06%) decided to withdraw their named voluntarily. Another 26,42,505 beneficiaries were removed from the list during the E-KYC campaign. I would like to thank those who had voluntarily withdrawn their names for the greater benefit of the state and the nation," Godara said.