In a major boost to Assam’s digital transformation efforts, the central government has agreed in principle to fund a ₹12-crore project aimed at developing state-specific artificial intelligence (AI) datasets. The announcement came following a high-level meeting in New Delhi between Assam Information Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta and top officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The project, proposed by the Assam government under the India-AI Mission, will focus on building a robust base of structured and unstructured datasets tailored to Assam’s unique linguistic, cultural, demographic, and administrative contexts. The datasets will be sourced from public records, digitized, annotated, and refined in compliance with AI ethical standards, ensuring legal and interoperable data practices.
“This project will help us build a robust AI base in Assamese and other local languages, enhancing both governance and innovation,” Mahanta said after his meeting with MeitY Additional Secretary and CEO of India-AI, Abhishek Singh.
The initiative will be jointly funded by the Centre and the Assam government and is expected to support applications across governance, education, healthcare, and digital public services. It also aims to preserve and promote Assam’s linguistic and cultural diversity within the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem.
Alongside the dataset initiative, MeitY has also approved the establishment of AI Data Labs in five technical institutions across Assam as part of the first phase of the India-AI Mission. Previously, only one institution from Assam was included under the program.
“The addition of these AI labs will empower our youth with skills in AI and data science, and create new employment opportunities,” Mahanta said.
The state government has been asked to submit the names of the five institutes for inclusion. MeitY has further assured that more educational institutions from Assam will be considered for inclusion in subsequent phases.
The twin announcements are expected to accelerate Assam’s participation in India’s growing AI ecosystem while aligning with national goals of digital empowerment and regional innovation.
