Year-End Review 2024: MeitY’s Digital Leap
India, a leading Global South economy, was elected Incoming Council Chair of GPAI in 2022 and became Lead Chair in 2024. Hosting the 6th GPAI Ministerial Council Meeting in New Delhi highlighted India’s global leadership in ethical AI development. Several high-impact projects were approved under EMC 2.0, including: • Hyderabad Knowledge City, Telangana: A R 1.04 bn Common Facility Centre to support prototyping and validation. • New Energy Park, Telangana: A Rs 5.69 bn project, attracting investments of Rs 105.74 bn and generating over 19,000 jobs. • Tamil Nadu EMC, Sriperumbudur: With a Rs 4.24 bn investment, it has already attracted Rs 87.37 bn in investments and created over 36,000 jobs. • Karnataka EMC, Mysuru: A Rs 2.21 bn project, with three companies committing Rs 15.91 bn investments. Nine additional projects under the SPECS scheme received approval, with a combined proposed investment of Rs 79.60 bn and the potential to generate 15,710 jobs. Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) The initiative trained 6.39 crore individuals nationwide, surpassing its target of 6 crore. Significant strides in digital literacy were noted in both rural and urban areas, facilitated by increased smartphone usage and internet penetration. Skill Development in Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Two government-backed schemes trained over 4.93 lakh candidates (against a target of 4.18 lakh), with 1.36 lakh placed in the ESDM sector. A "Place & Train" model ensured industry-aligned skilling, supported by 320 participating industries. IT for Masses Programme Since 2006, 124 projects under this initiative have directly benefited 5.56 lakh women and over 1.7 lakh individuals from SC/ST communities, fostering inclusive growth in underserved regions. Cybersecurity Initiatives The Cyber Surakshit Bharat (CSB) program continued to strengthen digital security through advanced CISO training and cybersecurity drills. CERT-In onboarded 388 organizations to the Cyber Swachhta Kendra for proactive cyber threat management. BHASHINI: India’s Language Translation Platform The BHASHINI platform, launched under the National Language Technology Mission, supports 17 Indian languages, facilitating over 100 million monthly inferences. The platform's mobile apps have garnered over 700,000 downloads, offering 100+ use cases across sectors. BHASHINI received several awards, including the Digital Trailblazer Award and ET Government Award for AI and Predictive Technologies.
National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) In 2024, three PARAM Rudra Supercomputers were deployed at key institutions across India. These supercomputers, built with indigenous hardware and software, enhance research in physics, earth sciences, and cosmology. With 33 supercomputers now operational, NSM supports over 10,000 researchers, including those in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.