Parliament Question: Implementation of AI-Based Learning Initiatives

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1498 ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026 Implementation of AI-Based Learning Initiatives 1498. Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the details of implementation of AI-based digital learning initiatives, including the TARA (Technology-Aided Reading Assessment) App and My Career Advisor App, during the Financial Year 2025–26, along with the number of students covered, State/UT-wise; (b) the total funds allocated and utilised for these initiatives during the Financial year 2025–26, State/UT-wise; (c) the details of deployment of the TARA App and My Career Advisor App during the Financial year 2025–26, including the number of schools, institutions and students benefited in the country including the State of Odisha; and (d) whether these initiatives have been extended to educational institutions in backward and rural districts of Odisha, particularly Bolangir Lok Sabha Parliamentary Constituency and if so, the extent of coverage? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (d): TARA (Teachers' Assistant for Reading Assessment) is an AI driven tool to develop and deploy reliable and scalable digital solutions for the assessment of Oral Reading Fluency (ORF), a critical component of foundational literacy. TARA app uses audio signal analyses to measure attributes linked to word decoding accuracy, pace and expression in oral reading. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay for Technology Aided Reading Assessment (TARA) App, an AI-based digital learning initiative. Further, Kendriya Vidaylaya Sangathan (KVS) has implemented the TARA App during the Financial Year 2025-26. The TARA App is being used to assess foundational reading skills of students in Hindi and English in classes 3 to 8 in Kendriya Vidyalayas, located in various regions, including backward and rural areas of Odisha and KVs in Bolangir Lok Sabha ParliamentaryConstituency, as part of KVS’s uniform academic initiatives. So far, 704210 KV students from classes 3 to 8 have been assessed through TARA app in all 1289 KVs. Out of these, almost 34000 students were tested in Odisha. In the financial year 2025-26, KVS has made a provision of ₹2447048/- plus GST 18%, for conducting and analysing the Oral Reading Assessment (ORF) through TARA app. My Career Advisor App (MCA) is an AI-enabled digital career guidance and counselling platform launched on 29 July 2025, with a view to empower students to make informed career decisions. The application has been developed in collaboration with Pandit Sunder Lal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), Bhopal, NCERT and Wadhwani Foundation. The initiative is aligned with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which emphasizes holistic, integrated, and future-ready education. A National-level Workshop on the My Career Advisor App was organised by PSSCIVE, Bhopal on 30th October 2025 at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi, with participation from State/UT officials, SCERT representatives, vocational education functionaries, and other key stakeholders. The workshop focused on awareness creation, functional orientation, and hands- on demonstration of the App’s AI-enabled features for student career guidance. To ensure wider dissemination and effective implementation at the grassroots level including the educational institutions in backward and rural areas across India, including participants from Odisha, State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) have been requested to organize State-Level Capacity Building Workshops on the same theme, aimed at equipping teachers, counsellors, and other stakeholders with the necessary understanding and skills to guide students effectively. AI Bootcamp was organised at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur, in which 30 students and 04 teachers representing the Odisha State Board including aspirants from educationally backward and rural regions, were sensitised to the App. The initiative aimed at bridging information gaps and enabling equitable access to AI-based career guidance tools for students from underserved regions. State-level training sessions have been conducted in nine States/UTs viz. Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. As on date, the MCA platform has more than 1.46 lakh registered users getting benefitted from the App, details of which are at Annexure. ****ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN PART ‘A’ TO ‘D’ IN THE REPLY OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1498 ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026 ASKED BY SMT. SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO, HON’BLE MP REGARDING ‘IMPLEMENTATION OF AI-BASED LEARNING INITIATIVES’ State/UT-wise details of Enrolments on My Career Advisor (MCA) App S. No State Enrolment Passion Tagging 1 Punjab 44750 29881 2 Chandigarh 16345 10738 3 Madhya Pradesh 9166 6295 4 Rajasthan 8477 5761 5 Himachal Pradesh 8168 4258 6 Uttar Pradesh 6567 4715 7 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 5395 3454 8 Gujarat 5214 3239 9 Haryana 5169 3676 10 Maharashtra 4849 3506 11 Delhi 4459 3213 12 Chhattisgarh 3574 2177 13 Andhra Pradesh 3506 2132 14 Tamil Nadu 3017 2362 15 Odisha 2423 1275 16 Telangana 2170 1601 17 Karnataka 1991 1642 18 Assam 1467 952 19 Bihar 1425 1110 20 Jammu and Kashmir 1363 883 21 Uttarakhand 1735 1195 22 Tripura 1002 654 23 West Bengal 749 581 24 Kerala 737 561 25 Jharkhand 612 474 26 Puducherry 403 290 27 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 371 306 28 Nagaland 254 190 29 Arunachal Pradesh 247 203 30 Goa 178 134 31 Manipur 126 81 32 Meghalaya 68 44 33 Sikkim 35 27 34 Mizoram 24 16 35 Ladakh 19 13 36 Lakshadweep 6 5 Total 146061 97644 *****