Lok Sabha Question No. 370 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Robo Dog Controversy
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri K E Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *370

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 18.03.2026

## ROBO DOG CONTROVERSY

## *370.  SHRI K E PRAKASH:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the India AI Impact Summit 2026 projected as a global showcase of India's AI leadership was marred by the 'robo dog' controversy wherein a reportedly imported product was presented as indigenous innovation;
- (b) the details of criteria and duediligence mechanisms adopted to verify exhibitors' claims and allocate exhibition space;
- (c) whether any responsibility has been fixed for lapses in planning and oversight; and
- (d) the details of corrective steps proposed to safeguard the credibility of future Government backed technology events?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF 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. *370 FOR 18.03.2026 REGARDING ROBO DOG CONTROVERSY

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(a) to (d): Government of India's AI policy is guided by the Prime Minister's vision to democratise access to technology and empower people through it.

## India AI Mission:

Towards this, Government has launched India AI Mission with an outlay of around Rs 10,000 Cr.  Under the AI Mission, Government has provided access of 38 thousand GPUs to academia, researchers and start-ups at a subsidised rate (average compute access at one-third cost of global average).

Government has supported development of 12 Foundational models or Large Language Models (LLMs) in the initial phases. Government is also supporting development of AI solutions for India specific challenges such as healthcare, agriculture, etc.

## World is now recognising India's AI strengths:

India's growing strength in AI is now recognised globally. India is home to the third -largest AI startup  ecosystem  in  the  world,  with  almost  89%  of  startups  last  year  are  AI  driven.  Stanford University's AI Index places India among global leaders in AI ski lls and capabilities.

## India AI Impact Summit 2026

India is actively participating in the global discussions on AI. India co-chaired the Paris AI Action Summit 2025 and subsequently hosted the India AI Impact Summit 2026 from 16-21 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

## Largest summit so far

The Summit brought together leaders from governments, industry, academia, civil society, and startups at one platform. More than 100 countries, including 22 Heads of State or Government, and around 10 international organisations participated in it.

The Summit witnessed extensive participation, with approximately 6 lakh attendees in person and over 9 lakh cumulative views through virtual mode.

## India's leadership in AI

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi presented India's Manav vision for AI at the AI Impact Summit.  It  presents  a  roadmap  where  technological  advancement  progresses  in  harmony  with societal  values:  Moral  and  Ethical  Systems,  Accountable  Governance,  National  Sovereignty, Accessible and Inclusive AI, and Valid and Legitimate Systems.

The AI Impact Summit concluded with the Summit Declaration, endorsed by 92 countries and international  organisations.  They  collectively  affirmed  their  commitment  to  trusted,  inclusive, democratic, and human-centric AI norms.

## Summit outcomes

The summit also witnessed enthusiastic participation from all the segments of population. Students from schools and colleges attended in a large number, showing great enthusiasm for technology. The participation was so encouraging that the exhibition was extended by one more day for the public.

The  summit  witnessed  investment  commitments  of  more  than  $250  billion.  The  summit  also witnessed significant investment commitments in associated tech technologies such as submarine cables.

## Pax Silica

During  the  summit,  India  joined  Pax  Silica  initiative  focused  on  securing  semiconductor  and critical mineral supply chain.

## India's AI models launched

Models developed by Sarvam AI, BharatGen and Gnani were launched during the summit. These models show strong performance on Indic language benchmarks, and in some cases perform better than leading frontier models on specific tasks.

Models  developed  by  Sarvam  AI  have  demonstrated  relatively  high  accuracy  in  document understanding and Indic language processing.

## AI Impact Expo

India AI Impact Expo was conducted as a part of the summit. Participation was invited through Expression of Interest (EOI) from various AI ecosystem partners. The exhibition space was allotted within the approved layout framework of the Expo.

More than 650 companies, start-ups and academia participated in the expo. Exhibitors showcased latest technologies and AI based solutions to a global audience.

One of the exhibitors, Galgotias University made a misleading statement about a robotic product. Following this, they were removed from the India AI Impact Expo.

## Controversy during the summit

A group of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers on Friday (February 20, 2026) staged a 'shirts -off' protest in an exhibition hall at the AI Impact Summit venue in New Delhi. The police registered  an  FIR  alleging  criminal  conspiracy,  causing  injury  to  a  public  servant,  unlawful assembly, and common intention.

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