India has, so far, seen very low robot adoption compared to its regional and global peers. According to a recent study, the total number of jobs related to developing and deploying new technologies, like automation, AI and robotics-related applications, may grow to 20 to 50 million globally by 2030 and more than 375 million workers globally. "Reduction of customs duty/IGST and providing tax breaks/incentives to robotics adopters can boost demand," Hi- Tech Robotics Systemz founder & CEO Anuj Kapuria said. It is among the first companies in industrial autonomous and AI technology in the country. "For accelerating technology and R&D, setting up of robotics centres of excellence, incubation centres, continued research grants for robotics R&D and continuation of income tax deduction will be the key drivers," he said.

Marking a significant shift in India's digital journey, the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, has presented the first-ever digital budget for the upcoming fiscal year starting April 2021. Her budget speech touched upon "proliferation of technologies, especially analytics, machine learning, robotics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence." The budget has come at a time when the country is still struggling with the massive economic slowdown precipitated by COVID pandemic. However, despite this downturn, businesses have seen a significant push towards digitisation, including acknowledging the importance of artificial intelligence across industries. As a matter of fact, India is considered one of the fastest-growing digital markets globally.

Needless to say, budget presented every year draws attention from all corners of the country. This surely remains a hot topic for quite some time and the progress with respect to what has been promised is kept an eye on, undoubtedly. This time too, the budget garnered attention of many. Be it the agricultural sector, education, technology or healthcare, a lot has been said and promised. But what seems to have stood out from the rest is the discussion pertaining to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.