‘Rice ATMs’ provide staple for struggling Indonesians amid COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of Indonesians struggling to make ends meet. Now the local authorities are rolling out “rice ATMs” in a bid to ensure greater access for those in need to the essential staple.
A man wears a protective face mask while receiving rice from an automated rice distributor amid the spread of COVID-19 in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 4. (Photo: REUTERS)
Hanoi(VNA) – The COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of Indonesians struggling tomake ends meet. Now the local authorities are rolling out “rice ATMs” in a bidto ensure greater access for those in need to the essential staple.
There are ten “rice ATMs” in and around Jakarta. This is part of a government initiative toassist the people worst affected by the outbreak, which has caused millions tolose their jobs in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Stacked withgood-quality rice and operated by magnetic cards, the tall automated machineslook much like a typical ATM, only that they pump out grain instead of cash.
Ibrahim, anarmy official supervising distribution, said a total of 1.5 tonnes of rice areprepared for around 1,000 residents everyday. The distribution iscarried out every day, even on weekends.
More than14,000 Indonesians have been infected with the coronavirus since early March,with 991 killed by the disease, the highest death toll in East Asia outsideChina.
Indonesian FinanceMinister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told the parliament last week the pandemic hasset efforts to eradicate poverty back a decade.
In March,Indonesia announced a 25-billion-USD stimulus package in response to theCOVID-19, pledging to provide social welfare for up to 10 million households,including food assistance and electricity tariff discounts.
Residentseligible for the rice ration include daily wage earners, the unemployed, thosewho do not own a house and people who live below the poverty line.
The “rice ATM”was first introduced by a Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City earlylast month to provide free rice for people out of work because of theCOVID-19./.
Donors in the central city of Hue have set up a 'rice ATM' in the city to help underprivileged people that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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A man wears a protective face mask while receiving rice from an automated rice distributor amid the spread of COVID-19 in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 4. (Photo: REUTERS) 
