Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia has called for India to ensure that the digital divide does not morph into an artificial intelligence divide, inaugurating the International Telecommunication Union's AI for Good Lab workshop at the 10th India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi.
Addressing the gathering on Friday, Scindia said the real test of AI was not the sophistication of its algorithms but whether it helped a farmer make a better decision, a doctor diagnose faster, or a teacher reach a child more effectively. With nearly 2.2 billion people still offline worldwide, he warned that technology must expand human opportunity rather than concentrate it.
The 38,000-GPU milestone
Scindia detailed India's progress under the $10 billion IndiaAI Mission. More than 38,000 high-end graphics processing units have been onboarded at around Rs 65 per hour — nearly one-third of the global average cost — with another 20,000 GPUs being added, he said.
The minister framed India's approach as building essential AI capabilities — compute, datasets, models and connectivity — as shared public infrastructure. He also cited the country's expanding digital base: 1.1 billion broadband connections, 5G coverage across 99.9 per cent of districts, and a 5.2 per cent share of notable open-source AI projects on GitHub contributed by Indian developers.
Inclusive AI as policy anchor
Invoking the philosophy of "Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya" — welfare and happiness for all — Scindia said AI should improve people's lives and reduce inequality rather than deepen it. The workshop, organised jointly by the Department of Telecommunications and the ITU, brought together policymakers, researchers and industry leaders to move AI from strategy discussions to practical deployment.
The minister also highlighted the role of digital tools in tackling telecom fraud, noting that the Sanchar Saathi initiative has helped disconnect more than 7.14 crore fraudulent mobile connections, trace over 35 lakh lost handsets and prevent potential financial fraud worth more than Rs 5,000 crore.
Sources: The Economic Times: India must ensure AI benefits reach every citizen, prevent digital divide from widening; The Tribune (ANI): Scindia inauguration of AI for Good Lab workshop; Asianet Newsable: India must prevent digital divide from becoming AI divide
Addressing the gathering on Friday, Scindia said the real test of AI was not the sophistication of its algorithms but whether it helped a farmer make a better decision, a doctor diagnose faster, or a teacher reach a child more effectively. With nearly 2.2 billion people still offline worldwide, he warned that technology must expand human opportunity rather than concentrate it.
The 38,000-GPU milestone
Scindia detailed India's progress under the $10 billion IndiaAI Mission. More than 38,000 high-end graphics processing units have been onboarded at around Rs 65 per hour — nearly one-third of the global average cost — with another 20,000 GPUs being added, he said.
The minister framed India's approach as building essential AI capabilities — compute, datasets, models and connectivity — as shared public infrastructure. He also cited the country's expanding digital base: 1.1 billion broadband connections, 5G coverage across 99.9 per cent of districts, and a 5.2 per cent share of notable open-source AI projects on GitHub contributed by Indian developers.
Inclusive AI as policy anchor
Invoking the philosophy of "Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya" — welfare and happiness for all — Scindia said AI should improve people's lives and reduce inequality rather than deepen it. The workshop, organised jointly by the Department of Telecommunications and the ITU, brought together policymakers, researchers and industry leaders to move AI from strategy discussions to practical deployment.
The minister also highlighted the role of digital tools in tackling telecom fraud, noting that the Sanchar Saathi initiative has helped disconnect more than 7.14 crore fraudulent mobile connections, trace over 35 lakh lost handsets and prevent potential financial fraud worth more than Rs 5,000 crore.
Sources: The Economic Times: India must ensure AI benefits reach every citizen, prevent digital divide from widening; The Tribune (ANI): Scindia inauguration of AI for Good Lab workshop; Asianet Newsable: India must prevent digital divide from becoming AI divide
