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Government launches CBDC-based PMGKAY benefit transfer in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli

The Government of India has launched a CBDC-based direct benefit transfer under PMGKAY in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, bringing the digital rupee into a welfare-delivery use case.

Finin2min FinNews: Government launches CBDC-based PMGKAY benefit transfer in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli
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What changed

The government announced a CBDC-based direct benefit transfer under PMGKAY in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

Why it matters

The rollout is a significant use case for India’s central bank digital currency beyond controlled payments experiments, linking digital-money infrastructure with benefit delivery.

Who is affected

PM-GKAY beneficiaries in the announced locations, banks/payment participants, public-finance teams and digital-currency watchers.

Action required

Beneficiaries should follow only official government/bank instructions. Do not share OTPs, PINs or wallet credentials in response to unsolicited messages claiming to be part of the programme.

What happened
The Government of India has launched a CBDC-based direct benefit transfer under PMGKAY in Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, bringing the digital rupee into a welfare-delivery use case. The official release names Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. The transfer is described as CBDC-based and linked to PMGKAY.

Why it matters
The announcement should not be extrapolated into a nationwide replacement of existing DBT mechanisms unless the government separately says so. Operational details may differ by location and participating institution. The rollout is a significant use case for India’s central bank digital currency beyond controlled payments experiments, linking digital-money infrastructure with benefit delivery.

What readers should do
Beneficiaries should follow only official government/bank instructions. Do not share OTPs, PINs or wallet credentials in response to unsolicited messages claiming to be part of the programme.

Finin2min verification note
Track official expansion announcements and RBI/government implementation guidance. The source link above is the evidence anchor for this story. Where the item is a consultation, proposal or policy speech, it is expressly labelled as such and is not presented as final law.

Date relevance check
Same-day government launch on 14 August; current.

Primary source Press Information Bureau · PIB 2299535 — CBDC-based DBT under PMGKAY · issued 14 Aug 2026
Read the official source →

FinNews is educational and professional reference material, not financial, tax or legal advice. Confirm the current official position from the primary source before acting on any figure, rate, provision or deadline mentioned here.