Govt implements AI, ML tools on 'Champions' portal for assistance to MSMEs

The government has implemented artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools on its single window system 'Champions' from Wednesday, a move aimed at gaining insights into issues faced by MSMEs and providing assistance to them.

The Champions system was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1, 2020.

The multi-modal system has a portal at virtual level and technology equipped physical control rooms at around 69 locations of the country.

"Artificial intelligence has started giving the MSME Ministry social media insights relating to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for its policy action through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, forums and online news which were not available to us on a holistic basis," an official statement said.

The ministry stated that till now, for grievance redressal, it was dependent on complaints and data coming through the Champions portal.

However, now it will be possible to know the emotions of people involved with or dependent on MSME sector in real time, it said.

The ministry said the next phase, which would be directed towards real-time grievance redressal and management, is in trial mode.

This includes increasing the performance of control rooms and officers through AI-enabled chat bots for faster response to query of portal users, giving real-time, detailed analytics and grievance redressal through the portal.

The ministry is also working aggressively to take the nation and MSMEs in the direction of Industry 4.0.

Technology company Intel guided the ministry in implementing some of the AI and ML tools, the statement said.

MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari had elaborated on the work done by the ministry in this direction during the AI Summit organized by Intel.

He said the entire concept and scope analysis and design has been done in-house in the ministry with the help of National Informatics Centre (NIC) and under the guidance of local team of Intel, it added.