Grain ATMs Coming to Patna: A New Era for Bihar’s PDS

By Megha Bajaj

ATMs not only dispense money, but now they will also dispense grain. This has happened in Bihar, where the Bihar government has sanctioned the opening of three grain ATMs in Patna as part of a pilot project by the central government. Work is currently underway to determine where these ATMs will be installed in Patna. According to reports, these grain ATMs are planned to be installed in Patna within two to three months.

Grain ATMs - Helpful in the Public Distribution System (PDS)

As per reports, once these three grain ATMs are installed in Patna as part of the pilot project, they could be installed in other districts of Bihar. The central government had sought approval from the Bihar government to install these three grain ATMs in Patna, which the Bihar government has approved. Now, preparations have begun to implement this project. It is being reported that grain ATMs could prove to be helpful in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Bihar. The number of PDS beneficiaries in Bihar is over 85 million. There are over 50,000 PDS shops in Bihar. Furthermore, Reports of grain misappropriation from these shops frequently surfaced in the mainstream media.

Beneficiaries use Aadhaar card or biometric authentication to select the grain

Now, with the introduction of Grain ATMs, it is hoped that grain misappropriation from PDS shops will be curbed. Now, the question is how these Grain ATMs will work? The Grain ATM is an automated machine that dispenses grains such as rice and wheat to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Program. Beneficiaries use their Aadhaar card or biometric authentication to select the type and quantity of grain they need, after which the machine automatically dispenses the grain. According to the given info, the transaction is recorded after the grain is dispensed, and the beneficiary's account is updated.

The Grain ATM can dispense up to 50 kg of grain in 5 minutes indicating that five beneficiaries can receive grain from the Grain ATMs in 5 minutes. According to reports, this grain-dispensing ATM machine consumes 0.6 watts per hour. It can also be easily operated with solar panels and inverters. Thus, three grain ATMs are set to be installed in Patna, the capital of Bihar, in the coming days. Notably, the first grain ATM in the country was installed in Odisha in 2024. This grain ATM, installed in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, hit headlines at that time. The best part about grain ATMs is that they decrease the time it takes for people to receive grain. According to a report, this can reduce the time taken by beneficiaries to receive grain by up to 70 percent. Thus, the purpose of this grain ATM is to provide easy grain access to PDS beneficiaries, and it plays a crucial role in digitizing the PDS.