Bhubaneswar, March 11 -- The Odisha government is planning to open rice ATMs in four more districts of the State to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) and ensure easier access to food grains for beneficiaries.

The information was shared on Thursday by Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra in his written reply to a question raised by Bhogarai MLA Goutam Buddha Das in Legislative Assembly. According to Minister Patra, the new rice ATMs will be installed in Jharsuguda, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts.

Odisha's first rice ATM was launched earlier in Bhubaneswar's Mancheswar area as a pilot project to make the distribution of subsidised rice more efficient and transparent.

The initiative has already seen si...