Parliament Question: AI, Technology and Employment Initiatives for Vizianagaram

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4029 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 12.08.2026 AI, TECHNOLOGY AND EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES FOR VIZIANAGARAM 4029. SHRI APPALANAIDU KALISETTI: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) the details of any Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Technology (IT) or technology-driven initiatives currently being undertaken or planned by the Government in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh including under schemes such as the India AI Mission and Digital India; (b) whether any AI innovation hubs, Centres of Excellence, technology parks, incubation centres or digital skilling centres under the Ministry are proposed or under consideration for Vizianagaram; (c) the details of steps being taken by the Government to equip the youth of Vizianagaram with AI, coding and digital skills to enable their participation in the emerging technology economy; (d) the details of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities expected to be generated in Vizianagaram through Ministry-led technology and AI-linked initiatives particularly for youth and first-generation entrepreneurs; and (e) whether the Government proposes to leverage Visakhapatnam’s growing IT/tech ecosystem and improved regional connectivity to extend technology-linked employment benefits to Vizianagaram district? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) to (e): India's AI policy is based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of democratizing technology. It is aimed at creating economic opportunities and employment for youth, while addressing risks associated with AI. India's AI strategy builds on India's vibrant IT sector with annual revenue of 300 billion dollars and 60 Lakh strong workforce. Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence: The Government supports research and innovation towards state-of-the-art technology in Artificial Intelligence, as follows: IndiaAI Mission IndiaAI Mission has seven pillars including development of AI models, applications, datasets, talent development and affordable compute.IndiaAI labs: ● 27 India Data and AI Labs established, supporting training for more than 3,500 students. ● 28 Data & AI Labs have been allocated for Andhra Pradesh. Initial funding has been released for 21 ITIs, while 7 Polytechnic institutes have been identified for establishment of the remaining Labs. One of the sanctioned Labs is located at Government ITI (Girls), Vizianagaram. Startup Financing: ● The Government has approved a scheme for establishment of 58 Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence (AI-CoEs) CoEs across States and Union Territories. The AI-CoEs cover sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and logistics, and support skilled talent development. ● Under the approved framework, two (2) Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence (AI-CoEs) have been approved in Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati and Visakhapatnam. Affordable compute: ● Compute Service Providers (CSPs) empaneled: 15, over four rounds of empanelment, comprising both high-end and mid-tier GPUs. ● Number of end-users approved for subsidized compute support: 237, with approximately 93.18 lakh GPU hours sanctioned across Government entities, startups and MSMEs, researchers, academic institutions, IndiaAI Fellows and students. ● The IndiaAI Compute Portal (https://compute.indiaai.gov.in) has been operationalized as a single-window platform for discovery, request and access to compute resources. ● Subsidised access to AI compute infrastructure is being extended to eligible startups, researchers, academic institutions and Government entities in Andhra Pradesh through the IndiaAI Compute Portal, in support of AI research, innovation, model development and deployment. IndiaAI Challenge for Transforming Governance: ● In partnership with the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS), Government of Andhra Pradesh, the IndiaAI Mission has launched the IndiaAI Challenge for Transforming Governance, covering six problem statements identified by key State departments. ● A total of 128 applications has been received and are presently under evaluation for the pilot stage. In addition, the Government is cognizant of the significant private-sector interest in Andhra Pradesh's AI ecosystem, including the announced AI Hub coming up at Visakhapatnam, which represents a private investment and has not been funded through the IndiaAI Mission or any other central scheme. *******