SRINAGAR: In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, 786 individuals have received training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics (AI/BDA) under the central government’s FutureSkills PRIME programme over the past three years, with 416 successfully completing their courses and obtaining certification. These figures were presented by the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha concerning national AI skill development initiatives.
The Chenab Times has learned that the data, compiled by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), indicates that Jammu and Kashmir saw 786 participants enrolled or trained and 416 candidates achieve completion and certification in AI/BDA courses. This places the Union Territory below several leading states in terms of AI skilling numbers. Tamil Nadu reported the highest enrollment with 1,61,190 candidates, followed by Maharashtra with 68,460, Telangana with 68,306, and Karnataka with 46,534.
Nationally, the FutureSkills PRIME portal has registered over 34 lakh candidates. Of these, more than 23 lakh have undergone training in various emerging technology courses, and over 13 lakh have earned certifications. The program has seen significant participation from women, who constitute 41 percent of the trainees, and 86 percent of participants hail from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
The FutureSkills PRIME initiative, a joint effort by MeitY and NASSCOM, aims to enhance skills, reskill, and upskill individuals in cutting-edge technologies. These include AI, Big Data Analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, blockchain, and augmented and virtual reality. The program is designed to prepare the workforce for the evolving demands of the technology sector.
To bolster AI training infrastructure, the government has designated 22 centres under the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) as Lead and Co-Lead Resource Centres for emerging technologies. These centres have collectively trained over 32,000 government officials, with 5,821 focusing on AI/BDA. Additionally, 2,367 trainers and more than 40,400 candidates have benefited from over 420 bootcamps organized across the country.
Further expanding AI training reach, the IndiaAI FutureSkills pillar has established 27 IndiaAI Data Labs at NIELIT centres, which have trained 6,051 candidates. Plans are also in motion to set up an additional 543 labs in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics located in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, aiming to democratize access to AI education.
The ‘YUVA AI for All’ course has achieved widespread participation, with over 26.5 lakh individuals completing it through platforms such as FutureSkills PRIME, Skill India, and iGOT Karmayogi. The iGOT Karmayogi platform, part of Mission Karmayogi, has onboarded more than 1.7 crore government officials and offers over 200 courses in AI and other emerging technologies, with more than 3.3 crore course completions recorded. Notably, over 61 lakh officials have completed at least one AI-related course through this platform.
In a bid to foster advanced research and development, the IndiaAI Fellowship scheme is offering 500 PhD, 5,000 postgraduate, and 8,000 undergraduate fellowships. To date, 686 fellowships have been awarded to students across 178 participating institutions, supporting the cultivation of a new generation of AI experts.
To strengthen AI innovation, facilitate industry-academia collaboration, and build a robust national AI talent pipeline, the government has approved the establishment of 58 AI Centres of Excellence across various States and Union Territories. These centres are expected to drive AI research and application development nationwide.
Complementing these efforts, the government is actively integrating AI into the curricula of school, higher, and technical education. Under the IndiaAI Mission, initiatives are underway to provide shared AI compute infrastructure, datasets, and models, thereby supporting educational institutions, research projects, and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence across India.
The Chenab Times News Desk