A rice dispensing machine or ‘rice ATM’ will soon be set up in a slum in Bengaluru – the capital city of India’s southern Karnataka state - to support local poor people.

The model of “rice ATM” initiated by Vietnam has been hailed by the international media and applied in several countries. (Photo: VNA)

The initiative is part of the Indian Government’s project ‘Annapurti’ that is being implemented in a partnership with the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP).

The automatic grain dispensers are scheduled to be set up in five Indian states, namely Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The WFP has been closely working with the Indian Government to bring reforms in the Targeted Public Distribution System (PDS).

Karnataka state’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies K. Gopalaiah was quoted by local media as saying that the scheme will begin as soon as the proposal is passed.

The dispensing machines, reportedly, can dispense two commodities weighing 25kgs each per minute, further ensuring that everyone will get their share of grains. Depending on the demand a machine capacitating 100-500 kgs of grains will be installed.

“We are looking to set up this machine in the locality where low-income labourers reside. They won’t have to queue outside the ration shops, missing the day’s work; since the machine will be operating 24x7,” said the minister.

Gopalaiah also revealed that smart cards will be issued, along with the application of a biometric system on the machine to ensure everyone gets a fair share.

The model of “rice ATM” was previously initiated in Viet Nam, which has been hailed by the international media and applied in several countries.

Source: VNA