Indonesian government is rolling out “rice ATMs” in a bid to ensure access for those in need of the essential staple as the country battles COVID-19.
The pandemic has left millions of Indonesians struggling to make ends meet, CNA reports.
It was gatherered that a 28-year-old expectant mother simply identified as Syafri was among the many who lined up at a military base in Depok, on the outskirts Jakarta, for their 1.5kg rice ration.
She said: “I was laid off by my company last week and my husband was laid off too without severance pay. Although it (the rice subsidy) is not that much, it is very helpful in this situation.”
Those eligible for the rice ration include daily wage earners, the unemployed, those who do not own a house and people who live below the poverty line.
Daily wage earners, the unemployed, those who do not own a house and people who live below the poverty line are those eligible to be given.
The tall automated teller machines look much like normal cashpoints, only that they are stashed with kilos of rice which they pump out to those in need of it.
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