**Summary:**
In response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3926, the Ministry of Education outlined the establishment of three Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in healthcare, sustainable cities, and agriculture, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's emphasis on research and innovation. These CoEs are led by IIT Kanpur (sustainable cities), IIT Ropar (agriculture), and IISc Bangalore (healthcare). The total budget allocation for the three AI CoEs is ₹990 crores. Each CoE operates as a consortium, involving leading academic and research institutions, industry partners, and startups. Collaborative partners include AIIMS Delhi and Patna, IITs at Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Guwahati, Hyderabad, and Gandhinagar; NITs at Calicut, Meghalaya, and Hamirpur; and IIIT Hyderabad. Specific initiatives include the ANNAM Foundation, focused on leveraging AI to enhance agricultural productivity through crop monitoring and disease detection, and projects aimed at developing AI-driven tools for the detection of chronic diseases such as oral and breast cancer, retinal disease, and diabetes. The AIRWAT Research Foundation for Sustainable Cities is developing AI-powered energy demand forecasting and indigenous air quality monitoring systems.
Key Entities Referenced
National Education Policy NEP 2020: A policy framed by the Government of India to promote research and innovation in higher education.
IIT Kanpur: One of the premier institutions in India leading an AI Centre of Excellence.
IIT Ropar: One of the premier institutions in India leading an AI Centre of Excellence.
IISc Bangalore: One of the premier institutions in India leading an AI Centre of Excellence.
AIIMS Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, an academic institution collaborating with AI Centres of Excellence.
AIIMS Patna: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, an academic institution collaborating with AI Centres of Excellence.
ANNAM Foundation: A foundation launched to utilize AI to boost agriculture productivity.
AIRWAT Research Foundation for Sustainable Cities: An organization providing AI-powered solutions for sustainable cities.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3926
ANSWERED ON 18.08.2025
COEs in Healthcare and Agriculture Sectors
3926. Shri B K Parthasarathi:
Shri Bastipati Nagaraju:
Shri Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION
be pleased to state:
(a) the names of the three AI Centres of Excellence (CoEs) that have been selected by
the Government in the field of healthcare, agriculture and sustainable cities;
(b) the funds allocated, released and utilized for each of these CoEs;
(c) the initiatives taken/to be taken by these CoEs along with their impact and result;
(d) whether these CoEs can collaborate with other institutions for upscaling the projects
that are being implemented; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a) to (e): The Government has framed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which
aims to promote research and innovation in higher education. It envisages an active role
for higher education institutions in conducting research on disruptive technologies,
including Artificial Intelligence, to deploy application-based research which addresses
challenges in areas such as healthcare and agriculture.
In line with this vision, the Government of India has established three Centres of
Excellence (CoEs) in Artificial Intelligence (AI); one each in the areas of healthcare,
sustainable cities and agriculture. These AI-CoEs are led by the premier institutions of thenation such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Ropar, and IISc Bangalore. The total budget outlay for the
three AI-CoEs is 990 crores.
Each AI-CoE is a consortium of leading academic, research institutions along with
industry partners and startups etc. AI-CoEs represent a collaborative effort between the
lead institute and other academic institutions such as AIIMS Delhi and Patna, IITs at Delhi,
Madras, Bombay, Guwahati, Hyderabad, and Gandhinagar; NITs at Calicut, Meghalaya,
and Hamirpur; IIIT Hyderabad; etc.
These CoEs have undertaken strategic initiatives aligned with their sectoral focus.
ANNAM Foundation has been launched which aims to utilise AI to boost agriculture
productivity through technologies such as crop monitoring, disease detection etc. In the
healthcare sector, projects have been initiated to develop AI tools on the detection of
various chronic diseases like oral and breast cancer, retinal disease and diabetes.
AIRWAT Research Foundation for Sustainable Cities provides AI-powered energy demand
forecasting, indigenous air quality monitoring system etc.
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