HM Amit Shah To Unveil India’s First Digital Currency-Driven Ration Distribution System In Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will formally launch India’s first Public Distribution System integrated with Central Bank Digital Currency at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. The initiative represents a milestone in leveraging digital technology to streamline welfare benefits.

Spearheaded by the Gujarat Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, the scheme will channel subsidies through a CBDC platform authorised by the Reserve Bank of India.

Punjab National Bank has developed a system which will credit beneficiaries with digital tokens in their wallets. Each token will clearly specify the allotted commodity, quantity and price to ensure accountability.

In its initial phase, the project covers 26,333 households in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati zone and selected areas of Surat, Anand and Valsad. Beneficiaries with smartphones will verify purchases using QR codes, while those using feature phones will authenticate transactions through Aadhaar-linked one-time passwords.

Dignitaries to Grace the Ceremony

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi will be present at the launch event.

The state will also begin supplying tur and chana in sealed one-kilogram packets to National Food Security Act beneficiaries, replacing the earlier system of loose distribution to maintain better quality control.

Additionally, an ‘Annapurti Grain ATM’ will be introduced in the Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad. Operating 24 hours a day, the machine is capable of dispensing up to 25 kilograms of grain in just 35 seconds, offering greater convenience to users.

The government will also enter into agreements with Care Rating and the Consumer Education and Research Centre to develop a Consumer Responsibility Index for evaluating companies. It will also establish a conciliation and pre-litigation framework to enable faster settlement of consumer disputes outside the courts.

Under the ‘Garima Poshan – Suposhit Garudeshwar Taluka’ initiative, Rs 1.65 crore from the CSR funds of Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited will support efforts to combat malnutrition in Narmada district.

The programme includes setting up two model anganwadis and implementing targeted health measures for adolescent girls and expectant mothers.

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