Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will announce three Centres of Excellence (CoE) focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare, Agriculture, and Sustainable Cities in New Delhi. This initiative aligns with the government’s vision of Viksit Bharat and aims to bolster India’s AI ecosystem.
The Ministry of Education stated that these CoEs will be spearheaded by leading educational institutions collaborating with industry partners and startups. The centres will engage in interdisciplinary research, develop innovative applications, and create scalable solutions in their respective fields.
This initiative is part of the broader strategy to “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India,” and was outlined in the Budget Announcement for 2023-24 under Para 60. Establishing the three AI Centres comes with a significant financial commitment, amounting to Rs 990 crore, allocated for the period from FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28.
To oversee the implementation of these centres, an Apex Committee composed of industry leaders has been formed, co-chaired by Dr Sridhar Vembu, the Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation. The announcement event will also feature K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary of Higher Education, along with directors of IITs, heads of various higher educational institutions, startup founders, and senior officials from multiple ministries.
This initiative is expected to foster quality human resources in critical sectors and strengthen India’s position in the global AI landscape, thereby enhancing its capability to address pressing challenges in healthcare, agriculture, and urban sustainability.