Parliament Question: National Database to Improve AI Safety

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4203 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 18.03.2026 NATIONAL DATABASE TO IMPROVE AI SAFETY 4203. SHRI VISHALDADA PRAKASHBAPU PATIL: SMT. BHARTI PARDHI: SHRI RAVINDRA DATTARAM WAIKAR: DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE: SHRI SHRIRANG APPA CHANDU BARNE: SHRI NARESH GANPAT MHASKE: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has considered the need for a national database to record, analyse and monitor incidents related to Artificial Intelligence systems including harms, failures and ethical concerns and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for the same; (b) the rationale for establishing such a database particularly in terms of improving Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety, accountability, transparency and public trust; (c) the details of consultations held with industry experts, academic institutions, civil society and technical bodies on designing the scope, standards and governance of an AI incident reporting mechanism; (d) the details of proposed institutional framework, data protection safeguards and cross-sector linkages required to operationalise a national AI incident database; and (e) the manner in which such a database would align with India’s broader policy goals of responsible AI development, user protection, innovation and digital inclusion? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) to (e): India’s AI policy: India’s AI Policy framework is based on Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of democratising the development and usage of technology. The focus is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for solving real-world problems and ultimately improving lives across various sectors. To achieve this, Government of India has taken a balanced and pragmatic techno-legal approach towards its regulation. India’s AI strategy has been shaped after studying global regulatory frameworks and undertaking extensive stakeholder consultations. India AI mission:In March 2024, Government launched India AI mission with an outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore. It has 7 pillars for overall development of AI ecosystem in the country. 1. IndiaAI Compute Capacity: It aims to provide high-end compute power (GPUs) to all, including MSMEs and startups, at an affordable cost. More than 38 thousand GPUs have been onboarded till date. 2. IndiaAI Foundation Models: To develop India’s own Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) trained on Indian datasets and languages. This is to ensure sovereign capability and global competitiveness in generative AI. 12 applications have been approved. AI models developed by Sarvam and BharatGen were launched during the AI Impact Summit. 3. AIKosh: To develop large datasets for training AI models. AIKosh is a unified data platform integrating datasets from government and non-government sources. 4. IndiaAI Application Development Initiative: This pillar aims to develop AI applications for India specific challenges in sectors such as climate change and disaster management, healthcare, agriculture, governance, and assistive technologies for learning disabilities. Government has given support to develop 30 applications so far. 5. IndiaAI FutureSkills: To develop AI skilled professionals in India by increasing the number of graduates, post-graduate and PhDs in AI domain. It also envisions setting up Data and AI Labs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India. 6. IndiaAI Startup Financing: To provide financial assistance to AI start-ups. 7. Safe & Trusted AI: To balance innovation with strong governance frameworks to ensure responsible AI adoption. IndiaAI Impact Summit: In February 2026, India hosted the AI Impact Summit, which was the biggest AI summit held so far. It witnessed participation from More than 100 countries, including 22 Heads of State or Government, around 10 international organisations and approximately 6 lakh attendees in person and over 9 lakh cumulative views through live virtual streaming. Investment commitments of more than $250 billion were received during the Summit. Manav Vision Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi presented India’s Manav vision for AI at the AI Impact Summit. It presents a roadmap where technological advancement progresses in harmony with societal values: Moral and Ethical Systems, Accountable Governance, National Sovereignty, Accessible and Inclusive AI, and Valid and Legitimate Systems. The AI Impact Summit concluded with the Summit Declaration, endorsed by 92 countries and international organisations, affirming collective commitment to trusted, inclusive, democratic, and human-centric AI norms. Advisory Group on AI To support the development of a responsible AI framework suited to India’s needs, Government constituted an Advisory Group on AI under the chairmanship of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister.The group includes representatives from academia, industry and government. The Advisory Group was tasked with developing recommendations for a safe and trusted AI ecosystem. A report on AI Governance Guidelines was finalised after reviewing existing and proposed laws and regulatory guidelines. The report highlights the need for a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to ensure effective compliance and enforcement as the AI ecosystem evolves. Given the rapidly changing nature of AI technologies, the report recommends a techno-legal approach to governance. India AI Governance Guidelines The India AI Governance Guidelines was released on 5 November 2025. It provides a comprehensive national framework to ensure the safe, responsible, and inclusive development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the country. The guidelines emphasise human-centric AI development and provide a comprehensive governance framework. They recognise risks such as misinformation, deepfakes, algorithmic bias and lack of transparency. Accordingly, the framework stresses mechanisms to identify, assess, monitor and mitigate risks arising from AI systems through appropriate techno-legal safeguards. The Guidelines propose an India-specific risk assessment framework based on real-world evidence of harm. This would help authorities and stakeholders analyse emerging AI risks and strengthen mitigation measures. Such mechanisms would also support transparency, accountability and public trust in AI systems. The Guidelines recommend a whole-of-government institutional framework for AI governance, including: ● AI Governance Group (AIGG): to provide strategic oversight and coordination across ministries and sectoral regulators; ● Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC): to support technical and policy recommendations; and ● AI Safety Institute (AISI): to undertake safety research, develop standards, test AI systems and evaluate emerging risks. The proposed governance framework aligns with India’s broader goals of responsible AI innovation, user protection, inclusive digital growth and stronger public trust, while enabling the use of AI for economic growth, public services and social development. *******