Odisha has launched its first ‘Rice ATM’  (Automated Teller Machine) in Bhubaneswar, designed to provide rice to ration card holders, announced Krushna Chandra Patra, Minister of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, on Thursday.

Located in the Mancheswar area of Bhubaneswar, this new facility allows beneficiaries to access 25 kg of rice from the machine. Minister Patra explained that this initiative will eventually expand to district headquarters across the state, enabling beneficiaries to collect rice conveniently.

Patra highlighted that the Rice ATM is a step towards reducing rice fraud and reliance on dealers, as it offers a more direct method of obtaining rice. He also addressed the issue of ghost ration cards, revealing that approximately 50 lakh such cards are in circulation. The state government is working to eliminate these false cards and ensure that only eligible individuals receive benefits.

The minister indicated that efforts are underway to complete the distribution of ration cards to eligible families within two months. He criticized the previous government for appointing PDS dealers with dubious practices and assured that new measures are being implemented to rectify this.

However, the Odisha PDS Dealers Association countered these claims, asserting that dealer appointments were conducted transparently and according to government regulations. They defended their practices, emphasizing that biometric and iris scanning systems are in place to prevent fraud.

Former Minister and senior leader of the opposition BJD, Pratap Deb, questioned the existence of ghost cards, citing the Aadhaar linkage during the previous administration. Minister Patra responded that the EKY system is being used to identify and remove ineligible cardholders, with more than six lakh new applicants waiting for their ration cards.

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