How Is India's IT Ecosystem Employing Over 6 Million People?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- India's IT ecosystem generates over $250 billion annually.
- More than 6 million people are employed in the sector.
- India ranks high in AI skills and is a major contributor to GitHub AI projects.
- The IndiaAI mission aims to create a strong AI ecosystem.
- Government initiatives focus on responsible AI adoption and support for startups.
New Delhi, July 23 (NationPress) India boasts a robust information technology ecosystem that generates over $250 billion in annual revenue and supports employment for more than 6 million individuals, as reported to Parliament on Wednesday.
According to global rankings, including the Stanford AI rankings, India is recognized as one of the leading nations in AI skills, capabilities, and policies. Furthermore, India ranks as the second-largest contributor to GitHub AI projects, highlighting its dynamic developer community, as stated by Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, in a written response to the Lok Sabha.
He emphasized that India's AI strategy is founded on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of democratizing technology usage to tackle challenges specific to India and to foster economic and job opportunities for all.
The objective of India's AI strategy is to elevate the nation to a global leadership position in artificial intelligence.
In March 2024, the government initiated the IndiaAI mission, a strategic effort to create a strong and inclusive AI ecosystem aligned with India's developmental goals.
The minister outlined a seven-pillar strategy being implemented under the IndiaAI Mission, which includes IndiaAI Compute Capacity aimed at providing high-performance computing power (GPUs) to all, including MSMEs and startups, at affordable prices.
The IndiaAI Foundation Models project has also been established to create Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) trained on Indian datasets and languages, ensuring India’s sovereign capability and global competitiveness in generative AI.
To facilitate the development of extensive datasets for training AI models, AIKosh has been created as a unified data platform that integrates datasets from both government and non-government sources.
The IndiaAI Application Development Initiative has been launched to create AI applications addressing India-specific challenges across sectors such as climate change, disaster management, healthcare, agriculture, governance, and assistive technologies for learning disabilities.
The IndiaAIFutureSkills project has been introduced to cultivate professionals skilled in AI, aiming to increase the number of graduates, postgraduates, and PhDs in the AI sector. It also envisions the establishment of Data and AI Labs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities throughout India.
To support AI startups, the IndiaAI Startup Financing initiative has been launched, providing essential financial assistance. Additionally, the government is focusing on safe and trusted AI, balancing innovation with robust governance frameworks to ensure responsible adoption of AI, the minister concluded.