Bhubaneswar: On Thursday, Odisha introduced a stand-alone grain dispensing device, Annapurti Grain ATM, in Mancheswar, making it the first state in the country to offer 24/7 access to public distribution system beneficiaries.
Thanks to the universal solution Annapurti, any PDS ration cardholder in India, regardless of their State or Union Territory, can obtain their allotted food grains. Within five minutes, the machine can dispense up to 50 kg of grain.
Krushna Chandra Patra, the minister of Odisha’s food supplies and consumer welfare, and Nozomi Hashimoto, the deputy country director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in India, unveiled the Annapurti solution on Thursday.
“This is a significant initiative in partnership with the World Food Programme to achieve nutritional security in the state, which is focused on food security. The ATMs will be set up across the state to provide food grains to beneficiaries with 24/7 access under the National Food Security Act,” Patra said during the launch of the grain ATM.
Over the past 60 years, the Odisha government and the WFP have collaborated. During the occasion, dignitaries stated that Odisha has been at the forefront of promoting technologies that enable citizens, particularly those from marginalised communities, to access their rights and guarantee food security.
“Odisha presents a success story with global relevance. We are humbled to see the Annapurti solution, a made-in-India globally awarded solution operational in many states, evolving to add more functionalities and features based on a year-long pilot and testing,” said the Deputy Country Director for WFP in India.
The Annapurti, inaugurated on Thursday, has several additional features, such as being the first standalone solution that provides service 24 hours a day, much like a banking ATM.
Any recipient with a valid PDS ration card in India, regardless of the state or Union Territory, can receive their entitlement under universal access. Annapurti may dispense grain up to 50 kg in five minutes with a 0.01 percent error rate.
“Once biometric authentication is completed, it provides consistent access to the full food ration. The modular design allows easy assembly based on available space. Annapurti is energy efficient, consuming only 0.6 Watts per hour and can be connected to solar panels for automatic refilling. Units enable 24/7 access, reducing waiting time by 70 per cent,” stated the FSCW department sources.
–IANS
