Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Chandigarh First Union Territory to Launch CBDC Digital Rupee DBT
A new kind of money called the digital rupee is coming to a place in India called Chandigarh.
It is like the regular Indian rupee, but it only exists in digital form.
The Reserve Bank of India, the country's central bank, is in charge of this digital money.
Chandigarh will use this digital money to give food subsidies to families who need help.
The money can only be spent on food like wheat and rice.
People will visit special shops and pay by scanning a QR code.
This makes sure the money is used for the right things.
Chandigarh is the first Union Territory in India to roll this out fully.
Earlier, a small pilot was done in Gujarat, Puducherry, and Chandigarh.
This new way of giving help is faster, safer, and easier to track.
Chandigarh will launch the digital rupee (e-rupee) for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the PMGKAY on August 14.
It becomes the first Union Territory to undertake a full-fledged rollout of CBDC-based DBT for food subsidy.
The digital rupee is a tokenised digital version of the Indian rupee issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Beneficiaries will receive purpose-bound digital subsidies to buy entitled foodgrains such as wheat and rice from empanelled merchants via QR code transactions.
The CBDC pilot was earlier initiated in Gujarat, Puducherry, and Chandigarh, building on Chandigarh's DBT model launched in September 2015.
- Who
- The Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, and the Chandigarh administration, along with the Reserve Bank of India and PMGKAY beneficiaries.
- What
- The launch of the CBDC-based digital rupee (e-rupee) for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of food subsidies under the PMGKAY.
- When
- August 14, with a launch event jointly organised by the Department of Food and Public Distribution and the Chandigarh administration.
- Where
- Chandigarh, the first Union Territory in India to undertake a full-fledged rollout of CBDC-based DBT for food subsidy.
- Why
- To strengthen transparency, traceability, accountability, and efficiency in welfare delivery by making subsidies purpose-bound and programmable digital cash.
- Initiative
- Digital rupee (e-rupee) for Direct Benefit Transfer under PMGKAY
- Launch date
- August 14
- Location
- Chandigarh
- Issuer
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
- Distinction
- First Union Territory with full-fledged CBDC-based DBT for food subsidy
- Pilot locations
- Gujarat, Puducherry, and Chandigarh
- Transaction method
- QR code scanning at authorised/empanelled merchants
- Eligible foodgrains
- Wheat and rice