Jammu and Kashmir has received formal approval from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in artificial intelligence (AI) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jammu.
Describing the development as a landmark achievement, the chief secretary said that with MeitY’s support, Jammu and Kashmir is set to emerge as a hub for AI and advanced technologies. He noted that IT parks are also in the pipeline for Srinagar and Jammu, positioning the union territory at the forefront of India’s digital transformation.
He said the CoE will open new avenues for the region’s youth by equipping them with skills in AI and related domains, helping to build a local talent pool for the proposed IT parks, for which land and logistics are being worked out by the department.
Further, the CoE will be set up with a total outlay of Rs 200 million under a 90:10 funding pattern between MeitY and the union territory government, to be disbursed over four years. It will operate through a special purpose vehicle framework under the oversight of the Information Technology Department.
The centre will foster collaboration among academia, government, industry, and corporate stakeholders, guided by MeitY’s IndiaAI Division. It is expected to drive AI research and applications in key sectors such as governance, healthcare, agriculture, and disaster management, while also supporting startups and skill development.
