Union Home Minister Amit Shah made history Sunday by launching India’s inaugural CBDC-based Public Distribution System in Gandhinagar, positioning Digital India as a vital tool in subsidizing grains for the underprivileged.
Shah marveled at India’s digital leap: ‘Eleven years ago, 60 crore families were unbanked. Now, PM Modi’s India powers over half of global digital transactions – one in every two worldwide.’
This PDS upgrade, he said, mirrors DBT’s triumph over Rs 15 lakh crore corruption. It promises leak-proof distribution, realizing ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ on the ground.
From manual scales prone to fraud to digital ones, fake ration cards to e-versions, national portability, and now blockchain-secured CBDC – each step builds unassailable transparency.
Digital infrastructure has surged, connecting 1.07 lakh villages versus 500 earlier. Shah recalled Modi’s 2014 pledge for the marginalized, now materialized in 81 crore people’s free 5kg monthly ration – surpassing Europe’s populace twofold.
Decade-long milestones include PMAY’s 4 crore houses, Jal Jeevan Mission’s 13 crore taps, Ujjwala’s 13 crore cylinders, Swachh Bharat’s 12 crore toilets, and 2.91 crore empowered ‘Lakhpati Didis’, epitomizing inclusive growth.