Odisha To Expand Rice ATM Network To Four More Districts

Food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra informed the State Assembly about the move in a written reply to a question raised by Goutam Buddha Das, MLA from Bhogarai.

According to the minister, the automated rice dispensing machines will soon be installed in Jharsuguda, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts.

The initiative follows the successful pilot project launched earlier in the Mancheswar area of Bhubaneswar, aimed at making ration distribution more efficient, transparent and user-friendly.

Since July 2024, the Mancheswar rice ATM has been widely used by beneficiaries. Official data shows that around 20,217 people have withdrawn rice from the machine, with nearly 3,805 quintals of subsidised rice distributed through the automated system during this period.

The government believes that expanding the rice ATM network will help reduce waiting time at ration shops, streamline distribution and ensure greater transparency in the delivery of food grains under the PDS.

Notably, India’s first rice ATM was inaugurated in Mancheswar on August 8 last year as a pilot project by Minister Patra. The machine was installed at a government warehouse to test the feasibility of automated ration distribution.

Under the system, ration card holders can obtain rice by entering their ration card number on a touchscreen display. After biometric authentication, the machine dispenses the allotted quantity of rice. Each beneficiary can withdraw up to 25 kg of rice at a time.

The facility is also compatible with the One Nation One Ration Card system, allowing eligible beneficiaries from other states to access subsidised rice using their ration cards.

“If the pilot project proves successful, the rice ATM facility will be gradually expanded to every district and block in the state,” the minister said earlier, highlighting the government’s plan to scale up the initiative across Odisha.

Officials say the automated system could become a model for modernising food grain distribution and improving service delivery for millions of beneficiaries under the PDS.