Guwahati, July 24: In a major push to build artificial intelligence (AI) capacity tailored to Assam’s unique context, the central government has agreed in principle to fund a ₹12 crore project for developing state-specific AI datasets. The announcement came after a meeting between Assam’s Information Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta and top officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The project, proposed by the Assam government, will focus on creating structured and unstructured datasets relevant to the state’s linguistic, cultural, demographic, and administrative landscape. It will also involve digitisation, annotation, and refinement of public data from various government departments. The data will comply with AI-cell standards for ethical use, interoperability, and legal sourcing.
“This project will help us build a robust AI base in Assamese and other local languages, enhancing both governance and innovation,” Mahanta said after the meeting with MeitY Additional Secretary and CEO of India-AI, Abhishek Singh.
The initiative is part of the broader India-AI Mission and will be jointly funded by the Centre and the state government. Mahanta said the AI datasets would support a wide range of applications, including governance, education, and digital services, while preserving the linguistic and cultural diversity of Assam.
Alongside the dataset project, the MeitY also approved the establishment of AI Data Labs in five technical institutions across Assam in the first phase of the India-AI Mission. This comes in response to Mahanta’s request to expand the mission’s reach in the state, which had previously included only one institute.
“The addition of these AI labs will empower our youth with skills in AI and data science, and create new employment opportunities,” Mahanta stated. The minister has been asked to submit the names of the five educational institutions to be included in the first phase. MeitY has also assured that more institutions from Assam will be considered in subsequent phases.
