The Maharashtra government on Wednesday formally notified its first artificial intelligence (AI) policy, setting a target of attracting more than Rs 10,000 crore in investments over the next five years. The policy also aims to create 1.5 lakh jobs and give impetus to building the required infrastructure across the state.
Key Objectives of the AI Policy
The Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence (EITAI) stated in its circular that 2 lakh youths will be upskilled in AI-related domains. A startup fund of Rs 500 crore has been planned to promote entrepreneurship in the AI sector.
Implementation and Oversight
A three-tier committee structure at the commissionerate, department, and chief secretary level will oversee the implementation of the AI policy. Every government department must adopt at least one AI use case, which refers to the practical application of the technology to solve specific problems or improve operations.
Infrastructure Development
On the infrastructure side, the state will establish a Compute as a Service (CaaS) platform as state-backed digital public infrastructure. GPUs will be deployed in certain areas, which will be designated as AI regions. Government departments, educational institutions, and research bodies will access computing resources through this platform, while startups and MSMEs will receive subsidies.
The policy targets the establishment of one AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) and two AI incubators in each administrative division.
Global Capacity Centre Parks
Global Capacity Centre (GCC) Parks will be set up in Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nashik. The incentive package for AI units includes capital subsidies at different tiers, exemptions in stamp duty, tariff subsidy, rental reimbursements, and other benefits.
Applied AI Accelerator and Skilling
A Maharashtra Applied AI Accelerator will be established to take AI solutions from the pilot stage to production-scale deployment. For skilling, the state will establish the Maharashtra Centre for Advanced AI Training (MCAT), which will collaborate with technology partners and academic institutions to deliver AI training programmes. Government officials will also be trained in AI concepts and governance through YASHADA and CoE partners.
Seven Pillars of the AI Policy
The government circular issued on Wednesday states that the AI policy is structured around seven pillars: AI infrastructure development; creation of local datasets and platforms; talent development and skilling; a startup-first financing approach; an Applied AI Accelerator for scaling pilots; Centres of Excellence for applied AI research; and an ethical AI compliance framework.
