Parliament Question: Development of AI Eco System

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1717 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 29.07.2026 DEVELOPMENT OF AI ECO SYSTEM 1717. SHRI RAJA A: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) the details of India AI Mission launched in the year 2024 along with the funds outlay for development of overall AI eco system in the country; (b) the details of initiatives taken for doing research and making innovative efforts in developing state-of-the-art technology in AI, cybersecurity, quantum computing and Internet of Things (IoT); (c) the details of measures taken for tapping AI vast potential by enhancing efficiency and capabilities across crucial sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics and others; and (d) the details of States in which AI-Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) are proposed to be established with a timeline particularly Tamil Nadu? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a): 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. The Government approved the IndiaAI Mission on 7th March 2024 with a total outlay of Rs. 10,371.92 crore over five years, operationalized through seven pillars vis-a-vis IndiaAI Compute, IndiaAI Foundation Models, AIKosh (Datasets Platform), IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, IndiaAI FutureSkills, IndiaAI Startup Financing, and Safe & Trusted AI. The pillar-wise allocation is as under: # Component Allocation (Rs. Cr) 1 IndiaAI Compute Capacity 4,563.36 2 IndiaAI Foundation Models 1,971.37 3 IndiaAI Datasets Platform 199.55 4 IndiaAI Application Development Initiative 689.05 5 IndiaAI FutureSkills 882.94 6 IndiaAI Startup Financing 1,942.507 Safe & Trusted AI 20.46 8 Overheads and Contingency (@1%) 102.69 Total 10,371.92 (b): Research and Innovation in Emerging Technologies: The Government supports research and innovation towards state-of-the-art technology across Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing and the Internet of Things, as follows: IndiaAI Mission IndiaAI Mission has seven pillars including development of AI models, applications, datasets, talent development and affordable compute. AI models: The Government of India has been supporting Indian startups and institutions in the development of large language models. Pursuant to the Call for Proposals issued on 30 January 2025, against 506 applications received, 20 indigenous sovereign model proposals comprising 12 Large Multimodal Models and 8 Small Language Models have been identified for support. Notable outputs already launched include: ● Sarvam AI's 30 billion and 105 billion parameter models ● Gnani.AI's speech-to-speech model ● BharatGen's multilingual foundation models (Param2-17B, Patram-7B and Shrutam-2) ● Avataar AI's video generation model These models were launched during the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 and have since been made available on the AIKosh platform for use by the developer community. Application development: ● 11 National-level Hackathons/Innovation Challenges launched. ● 62 AI prototypes developed and 20 AI solutions deployed across public-sector institutions; three in-house AI development projects executed. Talent development: ● 686 fellowships awarded across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in 178 institutions. ● YUVA AI for All programme completed by over 26.5 lakh individuals. 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. National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems:The Department of Science & Technology is implementing the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), approved by the Union Cabinet with an outlay of Rs. 3,660 crore. Under this Mission: ● 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been established at academic institutions across the country, each specializing in domains including AI & Machine Learning, Robotics, IoT & Internet of Everything (IoE), Cybersecurity, Mining, Quantum Technologies and FinTech. ● The TIHs undertake technology development and translational research towards prototypes and products in Cyber-Physical Systems. ● Human resource and skill development is carried out through fellowship-supported UG/PG, PhD and post-doctoral programmes, faculty development programmes and short-term training courses. ● Innovation, entrepreneurship and deep-tech startups are supported through funding, incubation and mentoring, along with technology transfer to Government organizations and industry. ● International collaborations are undertaken with overseas academic institutions, research organizations and industry for knowledge exchange and adoption of global best practices. National Quantum Mission: The Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) on 19th April 2023 with a total outlay of Rs. 6,003.65 crore over eight years, to seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D in Quantum Technology. Accordingly: • Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) have been established: Quantum Computing at IISc Bengaluru; Quantum Communication at IIT Madras (with C-DOT, New Delhi); Quantum Sensing & Metrology at IIT Bombay; and Quantum Materials & Devices at IIT Delhi. • The T-Hubs undertake Technology Development, Human Resource Development, Entrepreneurship & Industry Collaboration, and International Collaborations. • The T-Hubs together comprise 14 Technical Groups running 17 project teams, involving 152 researchers from 43 institutions across 17 States and 2 Union Territories. • The implementation model fosters collaborative synergy among academic institutions and R&D laboratories, with provision for involvement of startups and industry in demonstrating quantum technology applications. (c): Under the IndiaAI Application Development Initiative (IADI), the Government has built AI solutions across priority sectors through innovation challenges, grant programmes and hackathons, with pathways from ideation to pilot deployment and scale. 11 national-level hackathons and innovation challenges have been launched to date, including: ● The IndiaAI Innovation Challenge, addressing AI solutions in healthcare, agriculture, governance, learning disabilities and climate change; 30 solutions were shortlisted for pilot implementation with Central Ministries, States and Public Sector Organisations, of which 5 have been selected for national-level deployment. ● The Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH), with the National Cancer Grid, to strengthen cancer screening, diagnostics, treatment support and healthcare operations.● The CDSCO-IndiaAI Health Innovation Acceleration Hackathon, with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, for AI-driven automation of regulatory workflows including document summarisation, anonymisation and inspection reporting. ● The PMJAY Auto Adjudication Hackathon, with the National Health Authority, supporting AI-based adjudication frameworks for PMJAY claims, with multiple prototypes and pilot deployments. ● The IndiaAI-GSI Mineral Targeting with AI Hackathon, with the Geological Survey of India, applying AI/ML for mineral prognostication using geoscientific datasets including geology, geophysics, geochemistry and remote sensing. ● The IndiaAI Innovation Challenge 2026, supported by the Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of MSME, promoting AI solutions for AYUSH healthcare and MSMEs. ● The IndiaAI Financial Compliance Reporting Challenge, with the National Financial Reporting Authority, for AI-enabled compliance monitoring and risk assessment. ● The IndiaAI Challenge for Transforming Governance, with the Real Time Governance Society, Government of Andhra Pradesh, addressing AI use cases across key government departments. (d): AI Centres of Excellence (AI-CoEs): Under the IndiaAI Startup Financing pillar, a scheme for establishment of 58 AI Centres of Excellence (AI-CoEs) has been approved in collaboration with State/UT Governments and industry partners. In this regard: ● 22 AI-CoEs have been approved and initiated across 13 States/UTs vis-a-vis Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Tripura and Uttarakhand. ● The scheme includes a provision for 2 AI-CoEs in Tamil Nadu. *****