The budget speech by Nirmala Sitharaman focused on a number of measures to boost the economy and empower the youth. Among these measures, the setting up of Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence is a noteworthy move. These centres will partner with leading industry players to conduct interdisciplinary research and develop cutting-edge applications in areas like agriculture, health and sustainable cities. The National Data Governance Policy will enable anonymised data and the process will be simplified by adopting a risk-based system. The government has also launched an integrated online training platform to provide continuous learning opportunities for millions of government employees to upgrade their skills and facilitate people-centric approach. The digital ecosystem for skilling will be further expanded with the launch of a unified skill India digital platform. These initiatives will go a long way in making India a global leader in AI and other emerging technologies.

New Delhi, Sep 14: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday lauded the efforts of the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs (CBIC) and underlined the need for training Personnel for better utilisation of Artificial Intelligence and data analytics. "You keep doing good work, generating revenues, you are noticed for it, Prime Minister made a special appreciative mention recently on level of GST revenues," she said while inaugurating'Kendriya GST Parisar', the housing complex for CGST officers of Mumbai zone in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. The Finance Minister also spoke about the need for training CBIC officials for better utilisation of Artificial Intelligence, data-analytics, IoT and other technologies to identify fraudulent practices, such as detection of tax evasion. She was also appreciative of the Central Intelligence Unit team of CGST Mumbai Zone for fantastic data analysis and mining tools used for large scale tax evasion resulting in big recovery and booking of offenders. She also lauded the effort of the department to take care of future needs and development required for the second phase for welfare of officers and staff.

With countries across the globe experiencing the effects of climate change, environmental sustainability is becoming a business imperative everywhere. The recognition that long-term profits necessitate environmental preservation has been increasing. However, the fact remains that including environmentally sustainable practices can be costly for corporations, which is discouraging in highly competitive industries. Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman recognised this need for Sustainable Development in her 2022 Budget Proposal since the dangers of climate change are the most significant negative externalities that affect India and other countries today. She highlighted that Artificial Intelligence has the potential to reconcile profits and sustainability as "They provide employment opportunities for youth, and make Indian industry more efficient and competitive".

The tax assessment process of India is getting a makeover, and now will be operated by artificial intelligence and machine learning. This development certainly tends to make things easier and can assist India take a step forward towards digitization. It looks like Digital India is not a distant fantasy! Also, this can make India one of the first nations in the world to use technology on an even bigger scope in public tax evaluation. India will quickly become tech-savvy where income tax evaluation is concerned.

NEW DELHI: The Artificial Intelligence Task Force of the Ministry of Defence led by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Saturday submitted its final report to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on using AI for military superiority. "The Task Force handed over the final report to Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman to accept it and to implement its recommendations," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The Task Force was constituted in February 2018 to study the strategic implications of AI in national security perspective and in global context. It is a multi-stakeholder group comprising members from government, services, academia, industry and start-ups. "AI has the potential to have transformative impact on national security. It is also seen that AI is essentially a dual use technology. While it can fuel technology driven economic growth, it also has potential to provide military superiority," the statement said.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has constituted a task force to foster artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector. The task force is designated to prepare for industrial revolution 4.0 and digitise the manufacturing sector. In a statement, she said, "With rapid development in the fields of information technology and hardware, the world is about to witness a fourth industrial revolution." Sitharaman in her statement added that "the power of big data, high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics will be used to digitise manufacturing in India." Inc42 earlier reported that Nirmala Sitharaman used her MPLAD funds for setting up an incubator and coworking space in Mangaluru.

Commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman has constituted a task force on artificial intelligence to prepare for industrial revolution 4.0 and digitise the manufacturing sector. "With rapid development in the fields of information technology and hardware, the world is about to witness a fourth industrial revolution," Sitharaman said on Friday. The minister, in a press statement, said that the power of big data, high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics will be used to digitise manufacturing in India. A panel comprising experts, academics and researchers has been formed to explore the possibilities to leverage artificial intelligence for development across various fields. The taskforce is headed by V Kamakoti of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and includes 17 more members from various government departments and private companies such as HCL Technology and Tata Consultancy Services.