In an attempt to feed the poor, Odisha government set up a food ATM on Tuesday in Sambalpur district. The first such Food ATM was installed in Kuchinda region, which was inaugurated on November 6. The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC), in collaboration with ‘Swaichha’, a local social organisation, launched the food ATM, named ‘Trupti’, near the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in the city.

Food ATM ‘Trupti’ a community refrigerator is now installed at Kuchinda, Near Sub-divisional Hospital Where one can store surplus food, collected from households, parties and restaurants.1/2 pic.twitter.com/Ui9qohSGak

— H & UD Dept (@HUDDeptOdisha) November 8, 2019

The aim is to feed the poor and underprivileged, free of cost. The ATM  gives people an opportunity to donate leftover/surplus food items from social gatherings and households. A refrigerator of 700-litre capacity has been installed inside the ATM. People are also encouraged to donate food items instead of throwing them away. The idea of setting up such refrigerators was taken up by social activist Dilip Kumar Panda.

A member of Swaichha Dilip Panda said that the food ATM will remain open from 7 am to  10 pm every day.

SMC Enforcement Officer Subhankar Mohanty said that the civic body and volunteers of ‘Swaichha’ will together manage the food ATM. The Food Inspector of SMC would monitor the food quality at the ATM at regular intervals. People have been asked to donate packed vegetarian food only, he said.

A similar initiative, Happy Fridge, was recently set by an NGO Feeding India in Bhubaneswar, where a refrigerator was placed at Station Bazaar for the poor and needy.

The state of Odisha has garnered appreciation in the past, for several such initiatives. In a bid to curb the usage of plastic in packaging, Ganjam District in Odisha had set up Milk ATMs which enable a user to put in money and procure milk in their containers.

Also Read: Odisha: To Get Rid Of Plastic Packets, Milk ATMs Installed For Public