The Maharashtra government plans to introduce automated grain ATMs in Mumbai, Nagpur, Thane and other cities: Reports
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government plans to introduce automated grain ATMs in Mumbai, Nagpur, Thane and other cities following a pilot project in Nashik. The Annapurti Grain ATM, developed with the support of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), aims to eliminate long queues at ration shops, ensure accurate distribution and curb pilferage and black marketing. The machine has a storage capacity of 2,500 kg (25 quintals) and uses Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication to dispense food grains according to beneficiaries’ entitlements in around 30 seconds.
Maharashtra has nearly 54,000 fair-price shops serving 7.16 crore beneficiaries through 1.75 crore ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. The proposed expansion will depend on the success of the Nashik pilot.
In view of the upcoming Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela, the Nashik district administration has submitted a proposal to the state Food and Civil Supplies Department for installing 11 grain ATMs to provide food grains to pilgrims staying in the city during the Shahi Snan (Royal Bath) and Amrut Snan (Nectar Bath).
An official from the Food and Civil Supplies Department said the initiative, modelled on a system already implemented in Gujarat, aims to make ration distribution more transparent, convenient and efficient while curbing irregularities and the black marketing of food grains. The machines will allow eligible ration cardholders to collect their entitled food grains without waiting in long queues at fair-price shops.
“We are searching for space to set up the Annapurti Grain ATM in Nagpur, Thane and Mumbai in the coming days,” the official said.
Developed in collaboration with the WFP, the machine is designed to operate 24 hours a day and ensure that beneficiaries receive their full entitlement under the government’s food distribution scheme. The machine is estimated to cost approximately Rs 50 lakh and has been provided to the Maharashtra government free of cost under the WFP initiative.
The Annapurti Grain ATM was inaugurated in Nashik by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal on October 17. The machine uses Aadhaar-linked biometric authentication to verify beneficiaries before dispensing food grains. It also ensures accurate weighing, eliminates manual measurement errors and helps prevent pilferage, wastage and black marketing.
The initiative is expected to particularly benefit daily wage workers, migrant labourers, farmers, women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Integrated with the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) system, it will also facilitate portability, enabling migrant beneficiaries to access their food grain entitlements from authorised locations across the country, the official said.
Nashik district, which has more than 39 lakh beneficiaries under the NFSA, is served by 2,608 fair-price shops. During the pilot phase, 3,207 kg of wheat and 4,000 kg of rice had been dispensed through the grain ATM, benefiting 336 ration cardholders as of October 30, officials said.
“In view of the upcoming Kumbh Mela in Nashik, the district administration has sought 11 grain ATMs to enable pilgrims to avail themselves of food grain entitlements under the NFSA in the Panchavati and Trimbakeshwar areas,” officials said.
Beneficiaries will have to authenticate their identities through Aadhaar-linked details and biometric verification, including fingerprint scanning. Once their identities are verified, the machine will dispense food grains according to their entitlements recorded in government databases.
