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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4080
TO BE ANSWERED ON: 12.08.2026
AI CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
4080. SHRI THARANIVENTHAN M S:
Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to
state:
(a) the details of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centres of Excellence and IndiaAI Mission
projects sanctioned for Tamil Nadu since the launch of the Mission including their
location, implementing agency, approved cost and present status;
(b) the total funds allocated, released and utilised for AI-related projects in Tamil Nadu
under the IndiaAI Mission and other Central Government initiatives during each of the last
three years;
(c) whether any universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), research institutions,
startups or industry partners in Tamil Nadu have been selected to receive support under
the IndiaAI Mission and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to establish additional AI Centres of Excellence, AI
compute infrastructure or AI innovation hubs in Tamil Nadu including Arani Lok Sabha
Constituency and if so, the details and timeline thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI JITIN PRASADA)
(a) to (d): 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, affordable compute and startup financing pillar.
IndiaAI Startup Financing Pillar:
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 sectorssuch as healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and logistics, and support skilled talent
development.
Under the approved framework, Tamil Nadu has been allocated two (2) Artificial Intelligence
Centres of Excellence (AI-CoEs) with a unit cost of Rs. 20 Crore each. Financial assistance is
to be provided under a collaborative funding pattern, with contributions in the ratio of 40:40:20
from the Central Government, the State Government and the Industry Partner, respectively. A
communication covering the approved framework has been shared to the state Government and
the proposal is yet to be received from Tamil Nadu State Government.
Additionally, IndiaAI Mission in partnership with ITEL Foundation (Immersive Technology
Entrepreneurship Labs) of IIT Madras, announced the BuildAI Pitch Event: a national-level
pitch event designed to identify and nurture AI startups working to solve India’s unique and
complex challenges.
IndiaAI labs:
● 27 India Data and AI Labs established, supporting training for more than 3,500
students.
● 188 additional Labs have been identified for establishment across ITIs/Polytechnics,
and 18 Data & AI Labs have been allocated to ITIs and Polytechnics in the state of
Tamil Nadu.
Safe & Trusted AI:
● Under the Safe & Trusted AI pillar of the IndiaAI Mission, an AI Governance
Testing Framework is being developed by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in
collaboration with the Telecommunication Engineering Centre to evaluate Large
Language Models across parameters such as traceability, transparency, risk
assessment, contextual understanding and knowledge validation.
● In addition, IIT Madras, in collaboration with IIT Jodhpur, is developing Saakshya
- a Multi-Agent, Retrieval-Augmented Generation enabled framework for deepfake
detection and AI governance to strengthen capabilities for detecting AI-generated
synthetic media and supporting trustworthy AI deployment.
Talent development:
● Under the IndiaAI Fellowship Programme, 686 fellowships were awarded across
undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in 178 institutions.
● 162 students from 16 institutions in Tamil Nadu have been awarded fellowships: 96
Undergraduate Fellowships, 33 Postgraduate Fellowships, 1 Integrated Dual
Degree Fellowship and 32 Ph.D. Fellowships.
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