GURUGRAM: The country’s first ‘grain ATM’ has been set up at Farrukhnagar area of the city, and it can dispense up to 70 kg of grain within five to seven minutes at a time, said deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala while launching the facility on Wednesday.
The machine is equipped with a biometric system with a touch screen where the beneficiary will have to enter the Aadhaar card or ration card number. Upon authentication, the foodgrain allocated by the state government for a beneficiary will be automatically filled in bags kept under the machine. This machine, an official said, works like a bank ATM and will be installed under the UN’s World Food Programme across the state. It is called an automated multi-commodity grain dispensing machine.
The pilot project, according to the minister, has been launched as part of the state government’s initiative to ensure food supplies. Chautala, who also holds the portfolio of food and civil supplies department, said with the installation of ‘grain ATMs’, all complaints on the time and right measurement of ration will be redressed in the state.
“This is the country’s first grain ATM. After the successful completion of this pilot project at Farrukhnagar in Gurugram, our plan is to install these food supply machines at government depots across the state. The purpose of installing this machine is to ensure that the right quantity of ration reaches beneficiaries. This will not only benefit the consumers but will also redress the complaints on shortage of food grains at government depots. It will also help ensure more transparency in the public food distribution system and save the time of depot operators,” he said.
Three types of grains — wheat, rice and millets — will be distributed through the machine. At present, wheat is being distributed through the grain ATM installed in Farrukhnagar.
