Minister calls for
democratising AI access beyond metros, empowering teachers, and building a
national blueprint for future-ready institutions under Viksit Bharat 2047
New Delhi : Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Union
Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Minister of State, Ministry of Education (MoE),
Government of India today outlined the Government’s vision for
integrating Artificial Intelligence across education and skilling ecosystems at
Google’s AI for Learning Forum held in New Delhi.
The Minister led the
announcements around a landmark collaboration between MSDE, Google Cloud and
Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU), Meerut, positioning CCSU as India’s
first AI-enabled state university pilot — a strategic step towards
operationalising the Prime Minister’s vision of a technology-powered Viksit
Bharat 2047.
The event was attended
by senior leadership from Google, including Ms Preeti Lobana, VP & Country
Manager, Google India; Mr Chris Phillips, VP & Global Lead for Education,
Google; Mr. Wilson White, Vice President, Government Affairs & Public
Policy, Google APAC and Ms Yolynd Lobo, Director, Government Affairs
& Public Policy, Google Cloud, along with other senior officials.
Prior to the formal
session, Shri Jayant Chaudhary interacted with CCSU students and faculty,
engaging in an open dialogue on how AI can expand learning pathways, enhance
employability, and unlock opportunities for youth from Tier-2 and Tier-3
cities.
Delivering the keynote
perspective during a fireside chat moderated by Ms Yolynd Lobo, the Minister
emphasised the need to break silos between education and skilling, noting that
technology—especially AI—serves as the critical bridge between classroom
learning and industry needs.
“The vision of Viksit
Bharat relies on turning our demographic dividend into demographic dynamism.
For too long, degrees and skills were seen as separate tracks. AI allows us to
finally connect them. Through partnerships like this, we are not just deploying
technology — we are building an employability engine that democratizes access
to world-class skills, irrespective of geography,” Shri Jayant Chaudhary said.
CCSU to Serve as
National Living Laboratory for AI-First Education
Under the pilot, CCSU
Meerut will function as a living laboratory for AI-led institutional reform.
The university will implement personalised AI tutors for students, AI-driven
skill-gap analysis, and intelligent document processing to streamline
administrative workflows. The initiative is designed to generate a scalable
framework that can be adopted across India’s higher education ecosystem.
The Minister
highlighted that CCSU’s affiliated colleges will immediately benefit from the
pilot, with learnings intended to be scaled across India’s 45,000+ colleges and
1,200+ universities. He also underscored alignment with the Government’s
₹60,000 crore Model ITI Scheme, enabling vocational institutions to integrate
AI-enabled curricula alongside upgraded infrastructure.
“This partnership is a
gold standard for the future of Indian education. We are treating CCSU not
merely as a university, but as a blueprint for institutional transformation
ensuring students in Meerut have access to the same AI capabilities as those in
global technology hubs,” he noted.
Strengthening
Digital Public Infrastructure and Teacher Enablement
As part of Google’s
commitments announced during the forum, a ₹85 crore (approximately $10 million)
Google.org grant to Wadhwani AI will support integration of AI tools into
national platforms such as SWAYAM and Poshan Tracker, with an intended outreach
to nearly 75 million learners.
Calling for deeper
engagement at the grassroots, the Minister urged Google to expand AI support to
Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, noting that empowering teachers in
these institutions is key to unlocking digital opportunities in remote regions.
India as the Global
South’s Testbed for Inclusive AI
Highlighting India’s
leadership role, Shri Jayant Chaudhary stated that solutions co-created for
India’s diverse linguistic and geographic landscape can serve as models for the
Global South.
“When we solve for
India, we solve for the world. The AI tools being built for low-cost devices
and vernacular users are global public goods. India stands ready to share these
‘Made in India’ education models with partner nations across Africa, Southeast
Asia and Latin America,” he said, reaffirming India’s commitment to Vishwa
Bandhu—friendship with the world.
Google Leadership
Reiterates Commitment to Population-Scale Impact
Preeti Lobana,
Country Manager and VP, Google India, said,
"Google is deeply committed to supporting India’s vision of becoming a
global AI hub. Through this collaboration, CCSU will leverage Google Cloud and
Gemini to create learning solutions from personalized learning to AI-driven career
support. By supporting CCSU’s evolution into an AI-first institution, we are
aiming to pilot a framework for modernising India’s education and skill
development. We are excited to work with MSDE and CCSU to demonstrate how
technology can help unlock human potential at scale, with the goal of ensuring
that every student, regardless of geography, gains access to world-class
learning tools. "
Mr Chris Phillips
outlined Google’s approach to responsible AI in education, emphasising learning
science, productive struggle, and tools such as Gemini, Search and NotebookLM
showcased during live product demonstrations at the forum.
Building a National
Blueprint for AI-Ready Institutions
Drawing from CCSU’s
implementation, MSDE will develop a National Best Practice Framework enabling
colleges and universities to self-credentials as “AI-enabled institutions.”
CCSU will also function as a Centre of Excellence, hosting knowledge-sharing
sessions across the Ministry’s network.
The forum concluded
with a joint photo opportunity with Shri Jayant Chaudhary and Google
leadership, marking a significant milestone in India’s journey towards
integrating AI across education and skilling systems.
The collaboration
reinforces the Government’s commitment to ensuring that every learner —
regardless of background or location — graduates not only with a degree, but
with future-ready skills aligned to the demands of the AI-driven economy.