Karnataka’s first ‘Rice ATM’ to be installed in Bengaluru soon

Karnataka’s first ‘Rice ATM’ will come up in Bengaluru with the first such machine that will dispense rice 24X7, set to be installed in one of the slum areas of the tech city.

An officer has been appointed to look after the programme and follow up with the Centre and the World Food Programme (WFP) to set up the ‘Rice ATM,’ K Gopalaiah, Karnataka’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies told The Indian Express on Monday (December 28).

“In another few months, the ATM will be ready and the first rice-dispensing machine will be set up in one of the slum areas in Bengaluru,” he said.

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“We will identify a slum with a large number of people and install it. It will very useful for the poor people since it will remain open 24X7 with rice availability, and people can make use of it accordingly and will potentially do away with the need to wait in long queues in front of ration shops,” he added.

According to the minister, the rice-dispensing machines will come in different sizes from 100 kg to 500 kg capacity. The person who needs rice should insert a coin in the machine and a certain quantity of rice will be dispensed. He said these machines will help Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

BPL families receive 5 kg rice per month under the state government’s Anna Bhagya scheme.

Setting up of grain dispensing machines is part of Centre’s pilot project “Annapurti”. It is being done in partnership with 2020 Nobel Peace Prize winner United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP).

The machines will be installed in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, and they will help check malpractices in the Public Distribution System (PDS).