Bhubaneswar: The state’s first rice ATM (Automated Teller Machine) will be set up in the Capital City within a week’s time to streamline Public Distribution System (PDS) for ration card beneficiaries, informed Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Thursday.
Patra, who took a review meeting of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department earlier, said a card will be provided to each ration card beneficiary which can be used to get rice from such ATMs anywhere in the country. Gradually such rice ATMs will be set-up at all district headquarters towns, he said.
“Currently, there are over 50 lakh ghost ration card beneficiaries. Each one of them will be identified and their names will be deleted from the list, and new eligible beneficiaries will be added soon. An order in this regard has been issued to the concerned officials,” Patra said.
Informing about procurement of paddy, the minister said the state government will start procuring paddy at Rs3,100 per quintal. “After the Centre hiked the paddy Minimum Support Price (MSP) to Rs2,300, our burden has reduced. We will have to pay only Rs800 more instead of Rs917 per quintal,” he said.
He said farmers henceforth will not face any ‘Katni Chhatni’ issue during the procurement of paddy and the money will be transferred to their accounts within 48 hours of procurement. The minister warned of strict action against millers/dealers on receipt of complaints by farmers.
PNN