Blockchain: Telangana govt eyeing scalable adoption of emerging tech, mulls remote voting

Time of India

a day ago

Hyderabad: Telangana is deepening its commitment to blockchain innovation with a focus on real-world use cases, regulatory clarity, and public-interest applications. As Indian Web3 startups continue to migrate abroad due to regulatory uncertainties, the state govt is positioning itself as a model for responsible and scalable adoption of emerging technologies.
Speaking at IBT25 India Blockchain Tour Hyderabad node, Jayesh Ranjan, special chief secretary for Special Project (SPEED) and Investment Cell, outlined a series of ongoing initiatives and upcoming pilots designed to embed blockchain into sectors like finance, agriculture, governance, and infrastructure.
One of the earliest successes is T-Chits, a blockchain-backed platform for regulating chit funds. 'It is no longer a pilot.
It's scaled and in public use,' Ranjan said.
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Telangana is not just experimenting with blockchain in finance. Traceability systems for seeds have been introduced to help farmers avoid spurious products. Vehicle registrations are now recorded on a blockchain ledger to ensure the Road Transport Authority doesn't lose revenue during resales or unreported transfers, Ranjan explained.
However, the use case that the govt is most excited about isn't yet public-facing.
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It's remote voting.
'We've tested a system where citizens can vote from home, using AI-based facial recognition and blockchain security,' Ranjan said.
'Voting in India is full of distrust. Even EVMs are questioned, despite being tamper-proof. But this pilot showed that remote voting can be done without even one percent doubt. It might take time to launch this on a full scale because the idea needs some time to settle in.'
Land, for instance, is high on Telangana's list. With ownership disputes, fraud, and unclear transactions bogging down the real estate market, the state sees blockchain-backed land records as a gamechanger. The next cohort of the Web3 sandbox will focus entirely on asset tokenization, including land, intellectual property, and climate-linked assets, added Ranjan.
Sukriti Govil, consultant with the govt's emerging technologies wing, spoke about the risks that come with AI.
'We've been careful to avoid use cases involving financial transactions because of regulatory constraints. But we're actively working on frameworks around asset organisation, especially in sectors that need policy clarity and licensing structures. Legacy laws can't address the risks that come with tokenization and AI.
We need new digital asset laws that allows us to differentiate between types of tokens, whether they represent data, utility, or securities,' she explained.
'In parallel, Telangana is building TGDeX, Telangana Digital Exchange, which will be launched on Wednesday. It will be started with AI use cases, but the plan is to expand it to blockchain-based applications, particularly secure data exchange. Pilot experiments using blockchain under TGDeX are expected to begin next year,' added Govil.
Ranjan announced that they are setting up an accelerator for experiential tourism. It will use technologies like blockchain to preserve and authenticate Telangana's heritage, from the Kakatiya to the Qutub Shahi and Asaf Jahi dynasties, and enable immersive, verified cultural experiences for tourists.