GS Paper III 2026 ┬╖ Q1
10 marks ┬╖ 150 wordsрдбрд┐рдЬрд┐рдЯрд▓ рд░реБрдкрдпреЗ рд╕реЗ рдЖрдк рдХреНрдпрд╛ рд╕рдордЭрддреЗ рд╣реИрдВ ? рдЗрд╕ рд╕рдиреНрджрд░реНрдн рдореЗрдВ, рднрд╛рд░рдд рдХреЗ рдХреЗрдиреНрджреНрд░реАрдп рдмреИрдВрдХ рдбрд┐рдЬрд┐рдЯрд▓ рдореБрджреНрд░рд╛ (рд╕реА рдмреА рдбреА рд╕реА) рдХреА рдХрд╛рд░реНрдпрдкреНрд░рдгрд╛рд▓реА рддрдерд╛ рдкреНрд░рдЧрддрд┐ рдХрд╛ рд╡рд░реНрдгрди рдХреАрдЬрд┐рдПред
Read this question in English
What do you mean by Digital Rupee ? In this context, explain the working and progress of IndiaтАЩs Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
ЁЯзн How to think about this question ┬╖ directive: тАЬwhat / explainтАЭ
Decode the demand
- Two directives: 'what do you mean by' asks for a definition of the Digital Rupee; 'explain the working and progress' asks how India's CBDC is issued and used, and how far the pilots have gone. Three things to answer: meaning, working, progress.
- The issue in one line: eтВ╣ is sovereign money in digital form, tested through RBI pilots since late 2022 rather than launched at once.
- The trap: treating eтВ╣ as 'another UPI'. The examiner wants you to show the difference: UPI moves bank deposits, eтВ╣ is central-bank money itself.
Think in a structure
- Open with the legal definition (Section 26, RBI Act) and the contrast with a deposit; one line that turns to working and progress.
- One heading per demand part: meaning (what it is and is not), working (variants, two-tier model, token design, payments), progress (reach, features, limits).
- Each point carries a keyword, a reason and one RBI-anchored fact; dates and documents go in sub-points.
- Visuals: a flowchart of the two-tier issuance for 'working'; a timeline for 'progress'. Both drawable in 30 seconds.
- End positively: three concrete steps for a full launch, then anchor on Viksit Bharat @2047 as the policy vision.
Facts checked at source (6)┬╖ open
- The retail eтВ╣ has been live in pilot mode since 1 December 2022.RBI тАФ Digital Rupee (eтВ╣) FAQs тЖЧтАЬThe eтВ╣ issuance, distribution, and usage within the retail segment (for members of the public) is live in pilot mode with effect from December 1, 2022.тАЭ
- RBI creates eтВ╣ and issues it electronically to banks and non-banks, mirroring the issue of paper currency.RBI тАФ Digital Rupee (eтВ╣) FAQs тЖЧтАЬCreation and issuance of retail eтВ╣ is identical to the arrangement for issuance of paper currency i.e., RBI creates eтВ╣ and issues them to banks and non-banks electronically.тАЭ
- eтВ╣ wallets in the retail pilot are provided by both banks and non-banks.RBI тАФ Digital Rupee (eтВ╣) FAQs (PDF, January 2025) тЖЧтАЬeтВ╣ wallets are being currently provided by banks and non-banks, which are part of the retail CBDC pilot.тАЭ
- The Union Budget 2022-23 proposed introducing a Digital Rupee, using blockchain and other technologies, to be issued by the RBI starting 2022-23.Union Budget 2022-23 тАФ Budget Speech of the Finance Minister тЖЧтАЬproposed to introduce Digital Rupee, using blockchain and other technologies, to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23тАЭ
- The first wholesale Digital Rupee (eтВ╣-W) pilot, from 1 November 2022, had settlement of secondary-market transactions in government securities as its use case.RBI Press Release тАФ Operationalisation of Central Bank Digital Currency тАУ Wholesale (eтВ╣-W) Pilot тЖЧтАЬThe use case for this pilot is settlement of secondary market transactions in government securities.тАЭ
- RBI's Concept Note on CBDC (October 2022) viewed a token-based CBDC as the preferred mode for retail CBDC because it is closer to physical cash, with account-based considered for wholesale.RBI тАФ Concept Note on Central Bank Digital Currency тЖЧтАЬtoken-based CBDC is viewed as a preferred mode for CBDC-R as it would be closer to physical cashтАЭ
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper III тАФ paper тЖЧ. Guidance: Minimalist IAS, checked 8 Nov 2026 (how we verify). ┬╖
Model answer┬╖ 397words ┬╖ Minimalist IAS
The Digital Rupee (eтВ╣) is the rupee in electronic form, legal tender issued by the RBI under Section 26 of the RBI Act, 1934; unlike a bank deposit or UPI balance, it is a direct liability of the central bank. India is testing it through live pilots, not a big-bang launch.
What the Digital Rupee means
- Sovereign digital money: same as a note, exchangeable one-to-one with the rupee, a claim on the RBI rather than on any bank.
- Not UPI, not crypto: UPI moves bank deposits and crypto has no issuer; eтВ╣ is money itself, so its transfer is final settlement.
- Budget 2022-23 proposed the Digital Rupee, using blockchain and other technologies, to be issued by the RBI from 2022-23.
The full answer goes on to cover
- How India's CBDC works
- Progress of the pilots
- Way forward
With 1 flowchart, 1 timeline you can reproduce in the exam.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) ┬╖ facts checked against official sources (how we verify) ┬╖ updated 8 Nov 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.







