Grain ATM Gujarat: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated CBDC based PDS system and ‘Annapurti’ Grain ATM in Gandhinagar. Now ration will be available through digital rupees and biometric identification. Know how the country’s food distribution system will change.
Digital technology is no longer limited to just banking or online payments. Basic systems like ration distribution are also rapidly changing into digital structures. On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’ (CBDC) based Public Distribution System (PDS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This initiative is being considered an important step towards strengthening Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ vision at the grassroots level.
What is CBDC based PDS model?
This new arrangement is an attempt to make the public distribution system more transparent and effective through ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’ i.e. digital rupee. It has been implemented in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of India, Food Corporation of India and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The main objective of this model is to eliminate the role of middlemen from the process of grain distribution and deliver the benefits directly to the eligible beneficiary.
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‘Annapurti’ machine: Now ration will be available from ATM
A grain ATM named ‘Annapurthi’ was also inaugurated during the programme. This machine has been developed in Gujarat and is a big experiment towards automating ration distribution. Through this machine, along with wheat and rice, 1 kg tur dal, 1 kg gram, salt and sugar will also be given to the beneficiaries. The government claims that this system is a balanced example of technology and social welfare.
Plan to expand across the country in the next 3-4 years
Amit Shah expressed confidence that work will be done to implement this digital model in the entire country in the next three to four years. He said that after ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’, this step will further strengthen the food security system. Referring to the expansion of digital connectivity, he said that internet has reached more than 1,07,000 villages in the country, which has made it possible to implement such schemes.
Claim of transparency and control on corruption
During the program, the Home Minister said that for years there have been complaints of lack of transparency and corruption in the public distribution system. The new digital system will work in tandem with Aadhaar based biometric identification and digital payment framework, making the delivery process more secure and accurate.
The government claims that with this the beneficiary will definitely get his full share of 5 kg of grain and there will be less scope for manipulation at any level.
India’s lead in digital transactions
In his address, Amit Shah also said that while a decade ago it was difficult to imagine widespread digital transactions, today a major part of the world’s total digital transactions are taking place in India. CBDC based PDS is being seen as the next step in this digital transformation.
What will be the next steps?
Experts believe that the success of this model will largely depend on technical strength, network connectivity and training at the local level. Regular monitoring and maintenance of machines will also be important in rural and remote areas. At present, this initiative started from Gandhinagar is being seen as a pilot model. Its results in the coming months will decide how effective the digital currency based ration distribution system proves to be across the country.
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