The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Monday launched the Blockchain India Challenge, a national initiative aimed at encouraging Indian startups to develop permissioned blockchain-based digital governance solutions for government use cases.
The initiative is being implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) with support from MeitY. It aims to promote the development of secure, tamper-proof and auditable blockchain solutions that can strengthen transparency, regulatory oversight and efficiency in government systems.
The Blockchain India Challenge focuses on key governance and service delivery areas including e-procurement, supply chain management, public distribution system, education, healthcare, agriculture, power, Internet of Things (IoT), land records, and environment and sustainability. However, the ministry clarified that these domains are indicative and not restrictive, and startups are free to propose additional impactful use cases in collaboration with government departments.
Addressing the gathering, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan (IAS) said blockchain technology plays a crucial role in enhancing verifiability and creating a single source of truth across multiple systems, thereby improving transparency and efficiency in government services. He encouraged startups to explore innovative applications beyond the identified categories and asked MeitY and C-DAC teams to ensure wider outreach within the startup ecosystem to develop field-ready, deployable solutions that can be scaled nationwide.
Under the challenge framework, DPIIT-recognised startups will have the opportunity to pilot their solutions in collaboration with government departments. Selected startups will receive stage-wise funding support to develop 10 impactful blockchain-based use cases across 10 categories.
Startups interested in participating can register and access detailed information regarding eligibility criteria, registration procedures, use cases, intellectual property rights (IPR) and other guidelines through the official portal: [https://challenge.cdac.in](https://challenge.cdac.in).
