India to Lead with New AI Centres in Healthcare, Agriculture, and Urban Development

The Indian government, led by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, has announced three new Centres of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence focusing on healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable cities. These centers aim to drive innovation, support the startup ecosystem, and address significant challenges across these sectors, with substantial funding until 2028.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative to establish three Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence (CoEs) targeting healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable urban development. These CoEs are set to be spearheaded by leading educational institutions in collaboration with industry players and startups.

The goal of these Centres is to transform healthcare delivery, reinforce food security, and solve urbanization challenges while strengthening India's AI capabilities. The initiative aims to democratize AI research and innovation, making it accessible to a wider audience and establishing new global paradigms of public good.

Set in motion as part of the 2023-24 Budget, with an allotted Rs 990 crore funding till 2027-28, the CoEs will undertake interdisciplinary research and create scalable solutions. An Apex Committee, including Zoho Corporation Founder Sridhar Vembu, has been appointed to oversee this ambitious project.

(With inputs from agencies.)