Story perspectives

India Rolls Out E-Rupee Pilots for Farmer Welfare Payments

4/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

India launched about ten e-rupee pilots to send welfare payments directly to farmers and food-subsidy recipients.
The pilots channel the $80 billion welfare system and include Maharashtra subsidies covering 80 % of drip-irrigation costs and a Gujarat effort to enroll 7.5 million households before June.
The e-rupee, with 10 million users and $3.6 billion in transactions since December 2022, is part of the RBI’s plan to propose a BRICS CBDC linkage for the 2026 summit.

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Story summary

India launched about ten e-rupee pilots to send welfare payments directly to farmers and food-subsidy recipients.
The pilots channel the $80 billion welfare system and include Maharashtra subsidies covering 80 % of drip-irrigation costs and a Gujarat effort to enroll 7.5 million households before June.
The e-rupee, with 10 million users and $3.6 billion in transactions since December 2022, is part of the RBI’s plan to propose a BRICS CBDC linkage for the 2026 summit.