In the Union Budget 2026–27 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman placed technology and artificial intelligence at the heart of India’s fiscal vision, describing AI as a “force multiplier for better governance” and outlining several initiatives aimed at integrating AI across sectors. The Budget explicitly highlights a structured push to build an AI ecosystem that supports ethical deployment, talent development, and inclusive economic growth across agriculture, healthcare, education, and governance.
One major AI-centred program announced was Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI platform designed to integrate agricultural portals with advisory services so farmers can receive customized guidance in their local languages. This is part of a broader drive to use technology for decision-making support, risk mitigation, and increased productivity in the rural economy.
Beyond agriculture, the Budget also emphasized skill development and AI readiness, including reskilling and upskilling programmes to prepare India’s workforce for an AI-driven economy. This includes integrating AI education into higher learning and technical institutions and setting up a high-powered committee to study the impact of emerging technologies on jobs and skills.
On the infrastructure and economic side, the government reiterated its support for data centres, cloud computing, and semiconductor manufacturing, offering long-term incentives such as tax holidays for cloud service providers operating through Indian data centres. These moves aim to strengthen digital infrastructure as a strategic national asset and position India as a global hub for technology services and innovation.
