Nashik is set to get Maharashtra’s first 24×7 grain ATM by mid-October, allowing eligible ration-card holders to collect their wheat and rice quota at any time from a facility at Nashik Road. The pilot is intended to reduce queues, dependence on ration-shop timings, technical problems with electronic point-of-sale machines and complaints of short-weighing under the public distribution system.
The food and civil supplies department is setting up the automated unit at the old government foodgrain warehouse in Nashik Road. Nagpur has also been selected as one of the state’s pioneer centres for the experiment. Officiating district supply officer Ramesh Gaikwad said the initiative would address recurring operational issues faced by beneficiaries, including erratic shop hours, long waiting times and difficulties caused by e-PoS machine glitches.
The machine will store up to 100 quintals of grain, divided equally between wheat and rice. Beneficiaries will enter their Aadhaar or ration-card number and authenticate their identity through a fingerprint scan. Once the entitlement is displayed and verified, the machine will measure and release the grain into the beneficiary’s bag.
Officials said the unit can dispense up to 50kg of grain within five minutes. The facility will serve beneficiaries covered by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Household schemes. It will also be available to migrant workers covered by the One Nation One Ration Card system, enabling them to collect their entitlement without being restricted to the location of their registered ration shop.
The system is designed to reduce the role of manual weighing and dispensing during collection. Solar power backup has also been included to help keep the machine operational during electricity outages. Local ration dealers will supervise the facility and replenish its wheat and rice stocks when supplies run low.
The pilot will not replace ration shops. The automated unit is intended for the distribution of free foodgrain and does not include a payment facility. Items that beneficiaries must purchase, including supplies issued under special government schemes, will continue to be collected from fair price shops through dealers.
The Nashik facility therefore changes the timing and process of collecting the free grain entitlement, while leaving the existing ration-shop network responsible for paid supplies and stock management. Its operation from mid-October will determine how effectively automated dispensing can address access, reliability and weighing-related complaints in the public distribution system.
