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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the budget presentation that the government would fund an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) with an outlay of ₹500 crore. This follows the Economic Survey’s assertion that making sure education keeps up with technological advances in AI is a priority in making sure that India is able to leverage AI advancements.
Also read | Union Budget 2025: Artificial Intelligence related schemes receive significant increase in allocations
Over the next five years, 50,000 ‘Atal Tinkering Labs’, where school children are able to experiment with robotics, 3D printing and other technology, will also be set up to “to cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation, and foster a scientific temper among young minds”, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. The Atal Innovation Mission, which sets up the labs, has been allocated ₹400 crore for 2025-26, an almost four-fold increase from the revised estimates of the current financial year.
Ms. Sitharaman also said that a “national framework will be formulated as guidance to states for promoting Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in emerging tier 2 cities”. GCCs draw foreign firms to conduct more of their business in India, and several firms in the tech space operate large GCCs in India. India hosts 55% of the GCCs in the world, the Ministry of Communications said in a report released on Friday.
Published – February 01, 2025 06:35 pm IST
