Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 28: Like one gets water or cash from machines on insertion of coins or cards, ATMs can also dispense rice. The Karnataka government is planning to implement such a scheme.

Currently, the department of civil supplies provides free ration to BPL cardholders while APL cardholders get items on payment of certain amounts. For that, people have to go to the fair price shops when they are open and wait for their turn for hours.

The government wants to relieve people of this trouble. It wants the people to get the rice on inserting a coin or against thumb impressions. India does not have such a system till now, even though countries like Indonesia and Vietnam brought about this scheme when people were going through coronavirus pandemic.

Minister for food and civil supplies, K Gopalaiah, said that such a proposal is before the government and that the government plans to bring out rice bags in different sizes like 100 kg, 200 kg etc. These machines can be operated with coins, and he said that the government is finding out how it works, whether its operation is effective, and how to refill rice once it is exhausted etc. "We will initially install such machines in a couple of spots. If the feedback is good, we will install them in several places. The ATMs will obviate the need for the people to skip work and stand in a queue," he opined. For ration cardholders, a biometric system will be used, an official of the department said.