Government Policies, Missions and Schemes on Robotics, Ai and Automation in India

India is building a comprehensive policy and institutional ecosystem to drive advanced research, infrastructure development, and industry adoption in Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation. Spearheaded primarily by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), NITI Aayog, and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), national strategies aim to position the country as a global hub for emerging technologies while using them to address domestic challenges in agriculture, healthcare, education, and governance.

National Strategies and Policy Frameworks

Policy frameworks form the foundational structure for artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation initiatives in the country.

National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence

NITI Aayog released the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (NSAI) in June 2018 with the theme “AIforAll”. The strategy identifies five core focus sectors: healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities/infrastructure, and smart mobility/transportation. It recommends a two-tiered research structure comprising Centres of Research Excellence (COREs) for fundamental research and International Centres for Transformational AI (ICTAIs) for application-based research.

Draft National Strategy on Robotics

MeitY released the Draft National Strategy on Robotics (NSR) to turn the nation into a global robotics leader by 2030. The strategy targets four priority sectors: manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and national security. It proposes establishing a dedicated Robotics Innovation Unit (RIU) under MeitY to coordinate research, create regulatory sandboxes, build demonstration centers, and promote domestic supply chain capabilities.

Key National Missions and Flagship Initiatives

Dedicated national missions deploy financial resources, computing infrastructure, and sectoral hubs across academic and industrial networks.

IndiaAI Mission

Approved in March 2024 with a total financial outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore over five years, the IndiaAI Mission is implemented through the Digital India Corporation. The mission focuses on democratizing computing access and building sovereign AI infrastructure.

• IndiaAI Compute Capacity: Creates a public-private computing facility with 10,000 or more Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to support startups and researchers.
• IndiaAI Innovation Centre: Supports the development and deployment of indigenous Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs) tailored to national needs.
• IndiaAI Datasets Platform: Offers streamlined access to non-personal government datasets for research and commercial developers.
• IndiaAI Application Development Initiative: Promotes problem-solving hackathons and funds AI solutions across critical public sector domains.
• IndiaAI FutureSkills: Establishes Data and AI Labs in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to expand technical education at graduate and post-graduate levels.
• Safe & Trusted AI: Funds toolkits, self-assessment framework development, and auditing solutions to ensure responsible AI usage.

National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems

Implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore, the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) strengthens research in cyber-physical systems, including robotics, automation, and machine learning.

• Technology Innovation Hubs: Establishes 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) across IITs, IISc, and premier research centers.
• Specialized Domain Hubs: IIT Delhi hosts the TIH on Cobotics (I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics), IIT Kanpur manages Cybersecurity, IIT Bombay focuses on IoT, and IIT Kharagpur runs AI and Machine Learning hubs.
• Four Mission Pillars: Covers Technology Development, Human Resource and Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Startup Support, and International Collaborations.

Infrastructure, Supercomputing, and Specialized Platforms

AI research and robotic automated systems require high-performance computing capabilities and specialized hardware testbeds.

Sector-Specific Automation and Industry 4.0 Initiatives

Government programs incorporate robotics and digital automation into traditional industrial sectors and public administration.

SAMARTH Udyog Bharat 4.0

Initiated by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, SAMARTH (Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hubs) Udyog Bharat 4.0 promotes smart manufacturing technology adoption among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Experiential centers operating at IISc Bengaluru and C-DAC Pune offer prototype design, testing, and automation training.

Automation in Defence and Security

The Defence AI Council (DAIC), chaired by the Raksha Mantri, provides policy direction for deploying AI and autonomous systems in defence forces. Defence AI Project Agency (DAIPA) oversees project execution, leading to the development of autonomous surveillance rovers, counter-drone mechanisms, AI-assisted decision systems, and automated logistics platforms.

Agricultural and Healthcare Automation

The Digital Agriculture Mission utilizes drone technologies, automated sensor networks, and predictive AI models for soil testing, crop assessment, and yield forecasting. In healthcare, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) incorporates automated health registries and diagnostic tools to improve rural service delivery.

Governance, Ethics, and International Cooperation

The policy setup balances tech deployment with risk management, legal frameworks, and global partnerships.

• GPAI Membership: The nation is a founding member of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), an international initiative supporting responsible AI development.
• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Committees: Dedicated technical committees at BIS formulate national standards for AI architecture, risk management, algorithmic bias assessment, and industrial robotics safety.
• National AI Portal (indiaai.gov.in): A joint initiative by MeitY, NEGD, and NASSCOM serving as a single-window repository for news, research reports, datasets, and course material.

Key Facts for Quick Revision

• NITI Aayog published the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (NSAI) under the theme “AIforAll” in 2018.
• The IndiaAI Mission carries an approved total financial outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore over five years.
• The IndiaAI compute capacity pillar aims to build a public-private pool containing 10,000 or more GPUs.
• National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) operates under the Department of Science and Technology with a budget of ₹3,660 crore.
• NM-ICPS has set up 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) in top academic institutions across the country.
• The IIT Delhi Technology Innovation Hub specializes in Cobotics (collaborative robotics).
• AIRAWAT is an AI-specific cloud computing facility hosted at C-DAC, Pune.
• PARAM Siddhi-AI ranks among the fastest high-performance AI supercomputers built under the National Supercomputing Mission.
• SAMARTH Udyog Bharat 4.0 functions under the Ministry of Heavy Industries to advance smart factory solutions in manufacturing.
• Bhashini is MeitY’s AI-driven language translation initiative created to eliminate language barriers across digital public services.
• The Draft National Strategy on Robotics aims to build a competitive robotics ecosystem by 2030, targeting four areas: manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and national security.
• The country is a founding member of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).