CBDC Feeds Puducherry: Digital Rupees for Rotis, Anyone?

by

In the Shadow of Progress

  • Behold, Minister Joshi, with a wave of his digital wand, bestows upon Puducherry the gift of CBDC-laden subsidies, a spectacle under PMGKAY’s watchful eye.
  • Tokens, not coins, shall fill the wallets of the chosen, redeemable only where the government’s gaze approves-Fair Price Shops, no less.
  • A grand alliance-RBI, PFMS, Canara Bank, and Puducherry’s mandarins-marches forward, promising to spread this digital gospel to more fortunate lands.

On the morrow of February 26, 2026, the Indian state, in its infinite wisdom, shall unveil a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)-based Food Subsidy Distribution Pilot in Puducherry. A feast for the eyes, if not the stomach.

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) whispers that Minister Pralhad Joshi, flanked by Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, shall grace this occasion with their presence, as if the digital rupee needed such pomp.

The Digital Rupee: A Token of Trust?

The e-rupee, a phantom of the RBI’s creation, promises security, instantaneity, and traceability-a panacea for the ills of the DBT ecosystem. Or so they say.

“Behold, the CBDC, a programmable cash mechanism, shall smooth the flow of funds and silence the friction of entitlement,” declares the government, with a flourish of bureaucratic eloquence.

Under this pilot, subsidies shall descend upon the CBDC wallets of the anointed as tokens, spent only on grains at authorized altars of commerce. A digital leash, if you will.

The Puducherry government, RBI, PFMS, and Canara Bank-a quartet of progress-shall conduct this symphony of efficiency, accountability, and transparency. Or so the score reads.

Gujarat’s Echoes and MEITY’s Chains

This pilot follows in the footsteps of Gujarat, where digital ration cards danced to the tune of CBDC. MEITY, too, has woven blockchain into the fabric of e-procurement, health records, and land registration-a tapestry of traceability.

Errors and misuse, they say, shall be banished by this digital broom. A noble aim, if not a fool’s errand.

Words from the High Table

Minister Joshi proclaims this pilot a beacon of simplicity and empowerment. Lt. Governor Kailashnathan hails Puducherry as a digital guinea pig. CM Rangasamy, ever the optimist, welcomes it as a leap in public service efficiency. Words, words, words-the air is thick with them.

After Puducherry, the CBDC caravan shall roll on, embracing more beneficiaries and Union Territories. A grand experiment in Direct Benefit Transfer, they call it. Let us see if the digital rupee can feed both body and soul.

Read More

2026-02-25 16:52