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GANDHINAGAR (GUJARAT) FEBRUARY 15, 2026: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, today launched a transparent, modern, and simple Public Distribution System (PDS) based on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. On this occasion, Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi and many other dignitaries were present.
In his address, Mr Amit Shah said that, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Digital India is now extending to the food and supply system. He said that Prime Minister Modi has given the first right over the country’s resources to the poor, Dalits, backward classes, and tribal communities. He stated that earlier, there were 60 crore people in India whose entire families did not have even a single bank account, but under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, half of the world’s digital transactions now take place in India. He added that the same Digital India is now entering the domain of providing affordable food grains to the poor of the country. He said that this system will completely eliminate corruption from the mechanism of providing rations to the poor.
Amit Shah said that with the expansion of connectivity across the country, arrangements will now be made to ensure that the poor receive food grains directly through digital means. He remarked that just as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) eliminated fraud and scams in the country, this initiative by the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution will ensure a transparent distribution system in the coming days. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Modi’s mantra of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ is today being implemented on the ground in a new sector.
The Union Home Minister said that this distribution system, a unique blend of technology and Prime Minister Modi’s sensitivity towards the poor, will become a means of safeguarding the rights of the poor securely and transparently. He mentioned that the ‘Annapurna’ machine was also inaugurated today, which distributes 25 kg of food grains in just 35 seconds. Shri Shah said that this system will be implemented across the entire country in the next 3-4 years. He stated that this food grain distribution system will be completely transparent, and after its implementation, every poor person in the country will be able to receive 5 kg of free food grains. He further said that the ‘Annapurna’ machine will help ensure better quality, accurate quantity, and transparent distribution. Shri Shah said that gradually, this system should be implemented across our vast country—from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Dwarka to Kamakhya.
He said that today connectivity has reached 1 lakh 7 thousand villages in the country. He stated that Prime Minister Modi ji has provided 5 kg of free food grains per person per month to 80 crore people in the country. Shri Shah said that food security has now become transparent. He mentioned that the Prime Minister Modi has extended the benefits of the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme to 1 crore 9 lakh street vendors across the country. He added that through solid policies, the Modi government has improved the living standards of more than 60 crore people in the last 10 years and lifted 27 crore people above the poverty line.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the main opposition party and their government always lie and mislead the public. He said that under the previous government, the agriculture budget was only 26 thousand crore rupees, which Prime Minister Modi Ji has increased to 1 lakh 29 thousand crore rupees. He added that the previous government, in 70 years, misled farmers by announcing loan waivers only once, whereas Prime Minister Modi has been directly transferring 6,000 rupees every year into every farmer’s bank account for the past 10 years, creating a system where farmers do not need to take loans at all.
