Lok Sabha Question No. 395 (STARRED), answered on 2020-03-20
Subject: Research on Artificial Intelligence
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Janardan Singh Sigriwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.395 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20/03/2020

## RESEARCH ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

- *395.   SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY वान और ौयोगक मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  Government has  made provisions to support educational  institutions  to work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and to promote research on AI technology;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the funds earmarked and spent for this purpose;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether  the  Government  is  considering  any  proposals  to  establish  Research  and Development (R&D) centres in educational institutions for the study and creation of AI; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

वाय और परवार कयाण मंी ; वान और ौयोगक मंी ; और पृ वी वान मंी (डॉ. हष वधन )

- (a) to (e):   A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION  NO. 395 ON 20/3/2020  REGARDING  RESEARCH  ON  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

- (a) Yes, Sir.
- (b) Government has made the following provisions to support educational institutions to work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and to promote research on AI technology:
- i) On 6 th December,  2018  Government approved launching of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical system (NM-ICPS) at a total outlay of Rs 3660 crore for a period of five years to be implemented by Department of Science and Technology (DST). It  includes  Human  Resource  Development,  promotion  of  research  and  technology development and start-ups in AI.
- ii) NITI  Aayog  received  the  mandate  to  develop  a  national  program  on  AI  in  the  Union Budget  of  2018-19.  Subsequently,  NITI  Aayog  released  the  National  Strategy  for Artificial Intelligence (NSAI) for India in June 2018.
- iii) Ministry  of  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  (MeitY)  initiated  Visvesvaraya  PhD Scheme for Electronics & IT in 2014 with the objective of enhancing the number of PhDs in  Electronics  System  Design  and  Manufacturing  (ESDM)  and  IT/IT  Enabled  Services (IT/ITES) sectors with a budget of Rs. 466 crore for 9 years. The scheme encourages PhD Fellows  to  take  up  research  challenges  in  emerging  technology  areas  which  includes Artificial Intelligence.
- iv) National Super Computing Mission (NSM), DST, have recently approved setting of a 2 Peta Flops supercomputing facility for AI at C-DAC, Pune.
- v) Science  &  Engineering  Research  Board,  a  statutory  body  under  DST  also  supports individual-centric  research  projects  in  all  areas  of  science  and  engineering  under  its various programs/schemes to regular faculty/researchers in academic/research institutions. In the last three years, it has supported 17 projects relating to AI at a cost of Rs. 6.00 crore.
- (c) In view of reply to Part (b) question does not arise.

(d)  &  (e):    Yes,  Sir.    National  Mission  on  Inter-disciplinary  Cyber  Physical  Systems  (NMICPS) is to create 25 numbers of Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH) across the country in reputed educational  institutes  for  study  and  creation  of  AI  and  related  technologies.  These Hubs  will  connect  Academics,  Industry,  Central  Ministries  and  State  Governments  in developing solutions. One  dedicated Technology Innovation Hub  (TIH) on Artificial Intelligence  (AI)  was  provided  to  Indian  Institute  of  Technology  (IIT),  Kharagpur,  West Bengal.  The  activities  of  each  Technology  Innovation  Hub  (TIH)  includes  technology development, translational research, Development of Human Resource, Start-up eco-system, International collaboration etc.

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