DPI Brief — March 29, 2026

Today’s DPI Updates (7 Layers)

L1: Identity & Authentication

No major Aadhaar or eKYC news today. UIDAI continues to process updates through official channels.

L2: Payments & Financial Rails

UPI Processes 16.6 Billion Transactions in February 2026: India’s Unified Payments Interface processed 16.6 billion transactions in February 2026, worth approximately $274 billion (₹23 lakh crore), according to NPCI data. This represents continued strong growth in digital payments adoption across India. 1

UPI International Transactions Cross 1 Million: For the first time in FY26, UPI’s international transaction volume crossed one million, nearly doubling year-on-year. Transaction value also rose to ₹330 crore, showing growing acceptance of UPI for cross-border payments. 2

Government Considering “Kill Switch” for UPI: The Indian government is planning to introduce a “kill switch” or “freeze button” in UPI and banking apps to combat surging “digital arrest” scams and fraud. This follows RBI’s concerns about the 87 crore active mandates on UPI, highlighting the need for better user controls. 3

UPI, RuPay Subsidy Shrinks to Rs 8,000 Crore: The digital payments industry has received around Rs 8,000 crore in subsidy payments over the last four years for UPI and RuPay debit card payments, against a higher allocation. In FY25, banks and payment startups received around Rs 1,000 crore against a sanctioned budget of Rs 1,500 crore—among the lowest in recent years. 4

L3: Documents & Data Exchange

Digital India State Consultation Workshop: A two-day workshop (March 23–24, 2026) focused on building a seamless digital ecosystem featuring DigiLocker, UMANG, API Setu, Meri Pehchaan, and myScheme. The workshop brought together state officials to accelerate DPI adoption across states. 5

L4: Commerce & Logistics

ONDC’s DigiHaat Targets 10 Crore Small Producers: ONDC launched DigiHaat, a new platform aimed at onboarding 10 crore small producers, artisans, and farmers onto the digital commerce grid. Unlike other ONDC network apps that are privately run, DigiHaat represents ONDC’s own marketplace presence and serves as a testing ground for new initiatives. 6

HSBC Introduces Mutual Fund Transactions via ONDC: HSBC Asset Management introduced additional Official Points of Acceptance for transactions via the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), expanding the distribution channel for mutual fund products. 7

GeM Order Volume Grows 4.76%: Government e-Marketplace (GeM) recorded 65,15,796 orders during April 2025–February 2026, compared to 62,19,898 orders in the previous period—a 4.76% increase. The platform continues to strengthen transparent and inclusive public procurement. 8

L5: Sectoral Infrastructure

NMC Makes ABHA ID Mandatory for Medical Colleges: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has made ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) ID mandatory for OPD, IPD, and Emergency patients in medical colleges. This marks a significant push for digital health records integration across India’s healthcare system. 9

AI Cancer Screening via Ayushman Bharat: Under the India AI Mission, the Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) Grant Program was launched in partnership with the National Cancer Grid. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission provides a sandbox environment and integration toolkits for health technology developers, including AI screening tools. 10

L6: Governance & Grievance

CPGRAMS Resolves 4,796 Grievances (March 26): On March 26, 2026, a total of 4,796 grievances were resolved across Central Ministries/Departments and States/UTs on the CPGRAMS portal. The Ministry of Labour and Employment led with 798 disposals, while Uttar Pradesh led States/UTs with 485 disposals. 11

DARPG Releases 43rd Monthly Report: The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) released the 43rd CPGRAMS monthly report for February 2026, highlighting continued progress in grievance redressal. 12

L7: Security, Privacy & Trust

DPDP Compliance Clock Has Started: India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) framework is now in effect, with the compliance clock ticking. Organizations are building capabilities to meet DPDP Act 2023 requirements, including consent management and data fiduciary obligations. 13

CERT-In 6-Hour Breach Reporting Active: CERT-In’s mandatory 6-hour breach reporting rules continue to be enforced, with tighter oversight from RBI, SEBI, and IRDAI. India’s end-user spending on information security is projected to hit $3.4 billion in 2026, up 11.7% from 2025. 14

MeitY Network Security Reforms: The Union Minister of State for IT submitted updates in the Lok Sabha on major reforms in India’s network security and statutory frameworks, including CCTV data protection rules. 15

Sources

  1. https://www.mexc.com/news/982277 ↩︎

  2. https://www.instagram.com/p/DWQnqtYiR_e/ ↩︎

  3. https://www.threads.com/@indiantechandinfra/post/DWbuZMFFDMh/ ↩︎

  4. https://m.economictimes.com/tech/technology/digital-payments-subsidy-shrinks-to-rs-8000-crore-over-four-years-despite-higher-budgetary-allocation/articleshow/129810265.cms ↩︎

  5. https://www.instagram.com/p/DWOy7lqAinU/ ↩︎

  6. https://www.socialnews.xyz/2026/03/27/ondcs-digihaat-brings-artisans-farmers-onto-digital-commerce-grid/amp/ ↩︎

  7. https://www.assetmanagement.hsbc.co.in/assets/documents/mutual-funds/en/e2738d93-efc0-4e47-ac36-b15fdc966f5c/march-24-2026-notice-cum-addendum-introduction-of-additional-opat-via-the-open-network-for-digital-commerce-1.pdf ↩︎

  8. https://www.facebook.com/DeptofCommerceIndia/posts/government-e-marketplace-gem-continues-to-witness-steady-growth-in-procurement-a/1285986717043534/ ↩︎

  9. https://medicaldrafts.com/tag/digital-health-records-india ↩︎

  10. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2244526&reg=3&lang=1 ↩︎

  11. https://www.facebook.com/DARPGIndia/posts/cpgrams-update-26th-march-2026empowering-citizens-through-effective-grievance-re/1254298563493221/ ↩︎

  12. https://www.instagram.com/p/DWV8gL3FHQy/ ↩︎

  13. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/world-legal-regulatory-council_cyberlaw-dataprotection-dpdpact-activity-7441823336768106496-psJm ↩︎

  14. https://cisoforum.in/india-is-losing-a-war-it-doesnt-even-know-its-fighting-a-new-report-reveals-the-alarming-truth/ ↩︎

  15. https://www.policyedge.in/p/meity-reforms-in-network-security-and-cctv-data-protection ↩︎