Lok Sabha Question No. 158 (STARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Dr. D Ravi Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *158

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 30.07.2025

## STRATEGY  FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

## *158.     DR. D RAVI KUMAR:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  formulate  a  clear  national  strategy  for Artificial Intelligence (AI) development that ensures accountability, safety and fairness while prioritising human rights and privacy;
- (b) the manner in which the Government is planning to ensure that the proposed AI Safety Institute  adopts  a  human  rights-based  approach  with  a  focus  on  openness,  innovation  and inclusivity while safeguarding people's data and privacy;
- (c) the details of measures being considered by the Government to strengthen data protection and cybersecurity regulations to prevent misuse including providing citizens with the right to opt out of their data being used for training AI models given the reliance of AI on personal data; and
- (d) the manner in which the Government is likely to address concerns about the use of AI in automated  decision-making,  especially  in  sensitive  areas  like  policing,  access  to  essential services  and  elections  while  ensuring  that  AI  regulations  do  not  suppress  free  speech  or innovation?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (d):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN THE REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *158 FOR 30.07.2025 REGARDING ' STRATEGY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE '

……..

In line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision, the Government is making technology accessible to all. The focus is on democratizing the development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-world problems, ultimately improving lives across various sectors.

IndiaAI  mission  includes  targeted  interventions  that,  inter  alia,  ensure  accountability,  safety, fairness, and the protection of human rights and privacy.

## Development of India's Foundational Models

- Developing indigenous Large Language Models/Small language Models on Indian data sets
- Models so trained will ensure a better understanding of local contexts, dialects, and cultural nuances
- Target areas: Healthcare, education, agriculture, climate, and governance
- Four (4) startups - Sarvam AI, Soket AI, Gnani AI, and Gan AI -have been selected (so far) to build India's foundation models (Details in Annexure -1)

The models developed under IndiaAI mission will be made open source to help other startups build applications, especially India specific ones, on top of it.

IndiaAI Compute Capacity : Establishing high-end AI infrastructure access of GPUs to support safe and scalable AI research and innovation

| Aspect                  | Details                                                                           |
|-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total GPUs Provisioned  | 34,381 GPUs through the IndiaAI Compute Portal                                    |
| Beneficiaries           | Academia, MSMEs, startups, research community, government bodies, etc             |
| Pricing Support         | GPUs provided at discounted rates with 40% cost supported by the Government       |
| Average Price on Portal | Around ₹67 per GPU -hour (less than 1 USD), which one-third of the global average |
| Types of GPUs Available | Nvidia H100, H200, B200; Intel Gaudi 2 &3;AMD MI300X, etc                         |

## IndiaAI Datasets Platform (AIKosh)

Ensuring inclusive AI development by offering curated datasets  across sectors such as health, agriculture, and education, with safeguards for data privacy

- India-specific 1000+ datasets and 208 AI models are available on the platform
- Examples of datasets - Farmer query data from Kisan Call Centres, geological data from states, clinical, imaging, & pathology data to support AI-based diagnosis of brain lesions
- Small AI models are also available on platform; For eg. Text-to-Speech (TTS) models in Indian languages like Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam

## Development of AI based applications

- Supporting AI startups solving public interest problems in governance, health, climate, etc., while following ethical design frameworks.
- Currently 30 applications currently being funded under the Mission (details in Annexure2)

## Support to AI-based startups in India

IndiaAI  Startups  Global  program  is  launched  with  Station  F  &  HEC  Paris,  to  help  10  Indian  AI startups expand into Europe; Currently they are undergoing training at Station F.

These include startups working in areas like responsible AI, and AI in cybersecurity, among others (Details in Annexure -3)

Among these are startups like PrivaSapien Technologies, working on privacy-enhancing AI, and Secure Blink focused on AI-driven cybersecurity.

## Safe and trusted AI

- IndiaAI  Safety  Institute  for  AI  safety,  security,  and  developing  trust  with  diverse stakeholders
- Diverse stakeholders including academia, startups, industry & government bodies engage through a hub-and-spoke model
- Tools and frameworks are being built around Responsible AI, with a focus on 10 themes
- 8 Responsible AI Projects underway covering Machine Unlearning, AI Bias Mitigation, Privacy-Enhancing Tools, AI Governance Testing, etc.
- More projects on key themes like watermarking, ethical AI, risk assessment, stress testing, and deepfake detection tools are also being evaluated

India is also hosting the Al Impact Summit in February 2026, building on its role as co­chair of the Al Action Summit and continuing its leadership in shaping global AI discussions .

## Legal Framework for Mitigating AI-Related Risks

Government is cognizant of the risks posed by the usage of AI in automated decision-making, such as Hallucination, bias, misinformation, and deepfakes. The legal framework to ensure safety in this regard is as follows:

## Information Technology Act, 2000:

- Sections  66C  (Punishment  for  identity  theft)  deals  with  misinformation,  deepfakes, cheating by personation or identity theft.
- Section 66D of the IT Act criminalizes the use of computer resources for cheating by personation.
- Section 66E prescribes the punishment for capturing and publishing or transmitting the image of a private area of any person without his or her consent.
- Section 67A and 67B make publishing or transmitting obscene material for instance, which could be generated by using deepfake technology a punishable offence.

## Legal provisions under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023:

- Section  111  of  the  BNS  punishes  the  commission  of  any  continuing  unlawful  activity including economic offence, cyber-crimes, by any person or a group of persons, either as a member of an organised crime syndicate or on behalf of such syndicate.
- Several other sections under the BNS also deal with cyber-crimes like cheating or cheating by personation such as sections 318 (Cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), 353 (public mischief), 356 (defamation).

## Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

- It casts obligations on Data Fiduciaries to safeguard digital personal data, holding them accountable, while also ensuring the rights and duties of Data Principals.
- It  empowers  citizens  with  control  over  their  data,  ensuring  consent-based  usage  and accountability of data fiduciaries.

## Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ('IT Rules, 2021')

- The  IT  Rules  cast  specific  legal  obligations  on  intermediaries,  including  social  media intermediaries  and  platforms,  to  ensure  their  accountability  towards  safe  and  trusted internet.
- This includes expeditious action needed towards the removal of the prohibited misinformation, patently false information and deepfakes.
- In case of failure of the intermediaries to observe the legal obligations, they are liable for consequential action or prosecution as provided under the extant laws.
- Under the  IT  Rules  2021,  there  is  a  provisions  grievance  redressal  mechanism  by  the intermediaries which inter alia provides 24 hours timelines for any grievances relating to morphed or artificially generated images affecting the victim.
- If not satisfied with the grievance redressal, aggrieved persons can approach the Grievance Appellate Committee.
- The  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  has  launched  a  dedicated  portal  to  report  cybercrimes [cybercrime.gov.in] and has also started a toll-free number 1930.

## Techno-legal approach to regulate AI

A  key  pillar  of  India's  AI  strategy  is  its  balanced  and  pragmatic  techno -legal  approach  to regulation:

- India is combining legal safeguards with technological solutions.
- The Government is funding R&D projects at premier institutions like IITs to build AI tools for deepfake detection, privacy enhancement, and cybersecurity.
- This reflects India's belief that effective AI governance must go beyond just legislation and be backed by innovative technical interventions.
- This distinctive model ensures that innovation is not hampered

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Annexure 1

## Details of projects approved for development of India's Foundation Models:

- a. Sarvam AI has been selected to build India's Sovereign LLM Ecosystem, developing an open source 120 billion parameter AI model to enhance governance and public service access through use cases like "2047: Citizen Connect" and "AI4Pragati".
- b. Soket AI is working to develop India's first open-source 120 billion parameter foundation model optimized for the country's linguistic diversity, targeting sectors such as defense, healthcare, and education.
- c. Gnani AI is working to build a 14 billion parameter Voice AI foundation model delivering multilingual, real-time speech processing with advanced reasoning capabilities.
- d. Gan AI is working to create a 70 billion parameter multilingual foundation model targeting "Superhuman TTS (text-to-speech)" capabilities to surpass current global leaders.

## Details of theme wise projects selected under IndiaAI Application Development Initiative:

- Climate Change and disaster management: 4  applications  have  moved  to  the  next  stage under this theme with 1 idea and 3 prototypes.
- Healthcare: 8 applications have moved to the next stage under this theme with 4 prototype and 4 existing solutions.
- Agriculture: 8 applications have moved to the next stage under this theme with 1 prototype and 7 existing solutions.
- Governance: 4 applications have moved to the next stage under this theme with 1 prototype and 3 mature solutions.
- Assistive technologies for learning disabilities: 6 applications have moved to the next stage under this theme with 2 ideas, 2 prototype and 2 mature solutions.

| Indicative problem statement                                    | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                     | Team Name                            | Solution stage   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|------------------|
| Early Warning Systems for Adverse and Sudden Climate Change     | Heatwave Resilience: Integrating AI-based Advanced Forecasting for Extreme Heat Events: Integrate AI-based climate forecasting with health data to develop a targeted risk classification system for heat-health impacts | ARTPARK                              | Idea             |
| Multi-Hazard Susceptibility Mapping                             | Multi-Hazard Susceptibility Mapping: hazard management system that integrates four modules: Hazard Prone Area Database, Susceptibility Mapping, Threat Assessment & Mitigation Planning, and Monitoring &Assessment.     | Jarbits Pvt Ltd                      | Prototype        |
| Solutions that correspond to both indicative problem statements | DeepFlood: Rapid flood inundation mapping using Vision Transformers and Satellite Data: advanced flood inundation mapping tool using SAR data and deep learning models for real-time, automated flood detection          | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | Prototype        |
| Others: Climate and Outbreak of Diseases                        | Moskeet : Climate impact on mosquito-borne diseases: AI-powered platform integrates real- time climate data with mosquito tracking to predict and prevent disease outbreaks.                                             | Moskeet                              | Prototype        |

| Indicative problem statement   | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                 | Team Name              | Solution Stage    |
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|-------------------|
| Early disease detection using  | End to End AI Cloud Platform for Radiology Diagnosis: AI cloud platform for radiology diagnosis, integrating innovative technologies | Endimension Technology | Existing Solution |

| Indicative problem statement                                                             | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | Team Name                            | Solution Stage    |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|-------------------|
| AI-enhanced X-rays                                                                       | such as CV, GenAI, NLP, Dicom, mobile, and cloud computing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | Private Limited                      |                   |
| AI-enhanced X-rays                                                                       | NIDAAN (iNtegrated lung health screening & tuberculosIs Detection through Ai At National scale): qXR, an advanced AI tool for interpreting chest X-rays (CXR), detects & localizes 30+ findings.                                                                                                | Qure.ai Technologies Private Limited | Existing Solution |
| AI-enhanced X-rays                                                                       | AI/ML enabled MafPro device platform for cancer staging, localization, and margins. MafPro handheld detector provides a radiation-free, non- invasive, safe and cost-effective solution that can reliably detect and adequately evaluate metastases in lymph nodes using AI/ML based algorithms | SIAMAF Healthcare                    | Prototype         |
| Strengthening ophthalmology outcomes using AI for detection and management of conditions | Impactful AI solution, preventing preventable blindness, for socio-economic transformation: DRISTi AI is a CE-marked, device-agnostic retinal screening solution detecting 16 DR-related abnormalities and 20 vision-threatening conditions.                                                    | Artelus                              | Existing Solution |
| Strengthening ophthalmology outcomes using AI for detection and management of conditions | VoxelBox: SaaS platform that integrates advanced computational neuroscience, AI, and3D visualization to provide clinicians with deeper insights into brain structure and function.                                                                                                              | BrainSightAI                         | Prototype         |
| Strengthening ophthalmology outcomes using AI for detection and management of conditions | Development of Ocellux: An AI-Based Solution for Enhanced Early Diabetic Eye Screening in INDIA: smartphone-based retinal imaging device designed for capturing high-resolution images of the retina and anterior segment                                                                       | Anself Dynamics Pvt. Ltd.            | Prototype         |
| Others: Patients Monitoring                                                              | AI Powered Wearable Technology for Detection &Diagnosis of Musculoskeletal Joint Health Pain:                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Team Pheezee                         | Existing Solution |

| Indicative problem statement       | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Team Name                   | Solution Stage   |
|------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------|
|                                    | non-invasive device that enables physiotherapists to assess joint health with precision.                                                                                                                                                         |                             |                  |
| Others: Enabling Access Healthcare | Revolutionizing healthcare using doctor-led AI: AI-powered personal doctor available 24x7 and free of cost, designed to assist people when they are sick, monitor their health through wearables, and act as a health coach to prevent diseases. | Jivi Health Private Limited | Prototype        |

| Indicative problem statement           | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                                    | Team Name                               | Solution stage    |
|----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-------------------|
| Soil Testing and Advisory              | Krishi Sah'AI'yak - Farming Co-pilot: AI- powered conversational assistant providing personalized agricultural advisory in multiple Indic languages.                                                                                    | Samagra Development Associates Pvt. Ltd | Existing Solution |
| Soil Testing and Advisory              | KissanCopilot Multilingual Multimodal personalized AI Assistant for small holder farmers: Powered by Dhenu's vertical LLM for agriculture, provides personalized agricultural advisory services to smallholder farmers.                 | Titodi Infotech Pvt Ltd                 | Existing Solution |
| Soil Testing and Advisory              | Rapid, chemical-free soil testing solution using NIR Spectroscopy & AI/ML models: End-to- end soil testing approach leverages an offline app, AI-powered spectral device, and ML models to deliver timely, chemical-free soil analysis. | Neoperk Technologies Pvt. Ltd.          | Existing Solution |
| Others: Carbon Credits for Soil Health | MRV: in-house developed MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) technology designed to ensure the integrity and quality of generated carbon credits.                                                                             | Varaha Climate AG Private Limited       | Existing Solution |

| Indicative problem statement   | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Team Name                    | Solution stage    |
|--------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------|
| Water and Fish Monitoring      | Kadalcompass - WeAmplify the voice of water using Hydro-AI,Underwater com,IoUT with Sensor Network: 5G-enabled device that transforms fishing practices using AI, IoUT, and advanced communication technologies                                                            | Innogle Technologies Pvt LTD | Existing Solution |
| Water and Fish Monitoring      | AI-Driven Live Fish Logistics and Mortality Reduction in Aquaculture: AI-driven solution optimizes aquaculture operations by monitoring water quality, predicting potential issues, and providing prescriptive recommendations to ensure fish health and reduce mortality. | SNRAS PVT LTD                | Existing Solution |
| Quality of produce             | AI-Deep tech driven quality assessment of maize: Traceability of the maize quality from farm to processing units provides unique and important value for the entire product chain in the market                                                                            | RootsGoods (OPC) Pvt. Ltd.   | Existing Solution |
| Quality of produce             | Q-scan: AI-powered IoT solution that captures critical data throughout the fresh produce lifecycle, providing real-time analysis of food quality and actionable insights to sellers.                                                                                       | Qzense Labs Pvt Ltd          | Prototype         |

| Indicative problem statement   | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                 | Team Name                                | Solution Stage    |
|--------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|-------------------|
| Public service access          | ConvoZen.AI: AI-powered conversational platform that automates customer engagement across channels like chat, voice, email, and social media, offering fast, personalized, and multilingual support. | Nobroker Technologies Solutions Pvt. Ltd | Existing Solution |

| Indicative problem statement              | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                               | Team Name                       | Solution Stage    |
|-------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------|
|                                           | AI contact center: AI-powered technologies like machine translation, NLP, ASR and TTS, and multilingual voice recognition to enhance governance by improving communication and accessibility across India's linguistic diversity . | Devnagri AI Pvt. Ltd            | Existing Solution |
| Grievance Redressal and Legal Support     | Adalat AI: AI solutions for Courts: legal tech solution leverages AI-driven transcription to automate court processes, reducing India's overwhelming judicial delays.                                                              | Legsys.AI Technology Foundation | Prototype         |
| Others: Improving Internal Administration | Gov.Civis.Vote: Leverages Civis' proven public consultation framework and integrates advanced technologies to create a unified platform for governments.                                                                           | Civic Innovation Foundation     | Existing Solution |

| Indicative problem statement            | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                                                                                   | Team Name                    | Solution Stage    |
|-----------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------|
| Early Identification for SLDs           | Jiveesha: AI-powered platform for diagnosing Specific Learning Disabilities using advanced software and a plug-and-play device.                                                                                        | Daira Edtech Private Limited | Idea              |
| Early Identification for SLDs           | ScreenPlay - a digital game-based screening tool or autism and related disorders: AI-driven, game- based platform designed for early identification and intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children aged 3-6. | Kidaura Innovations Pvt Ltd  | Existing Solution |
| Enhanced Multimedia Accessibility tools | Readabled (Online Dyslexia Training): web-based application designed to help children with dyslexia improve phonetic awareness through interactive exercises.                                                          | Hermit Labs Pvt. Ltd.        | Existing Solution |
| Enhanced Multimedia Accessibility tools | Voice fusion AI: adaptive voice cloning platform designed to empower speech-impaired individuals                                                                                                                       | PerpetualBlock Technologies  | Prototype         |

| Indicative problem statement                              | Title of the Project and Description                                                                                                                             | Team Name       | Solution Stage   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|------------------|
|                                                           | to express themselves through emotionally connected, lifelike voice outputs,                                                                                     | Private Limited |                  |
| Solutions that address both indicative problem statements | Adaptive Learning and Detection for SLDs : advanced AI techniques to detect Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs) such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. | IITK- MadhavLab | Prototype        |
| Solutions that address both indicative problem statements | Special Educator AI: AI-driven system designed to address India's shortage of special educators and support children with Specific Learning Disorders.           | Viranc Infotech | Idea             |

## Annexure 3

## Startups supported under IndiaAI Startups Global program launched with Station F & HEC Paris:

|   Sr. No. | Startup Name                | Area of Work                                                                        |
|-----------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | PrivaSapien Technologies    | Responsible AI with privacy engineering and privacy-enhancing technologies          |
|         2 | CoRover.ai                  | Conversational Gen AI platform for contextual, domain-specific human-like responses |
|         3 | Staqu Technologies (Jarvis) | AI-powered audio-video analytics for surveillance, security, and governance         |
|         4 | SatSure Analytics           | Earth Observation using satellite imagery and AI for decision intelligence          |
|         5 | Storyvord                   | AI-based video content generation from product URLs and brand context               |
|         6 | VolarAlta                   | Drone-based AI solutions for industrial inspections                                 |
|         7 | Smartail                    | AI-powered edtech platform for immersive learning and real-time assessment          |

|   8 | Secure Blink   | AI-driven cybersecurity with proactive DevSecOps posture management   |
|-----|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   9 | NeuroPixel.AI  | AI-enabled ultra-fast image editing for fashion and e-commerce        |
|  10 | Voicing AI     | Agentic AI platform for enterprise-grade intelligent voice agents     |

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