Maharashtra govt working on a dedicated AI policy, developing GCC parks

The government of Maharashtra is in the process of formulating a dedicated policy on artificial intelligence (AI) and creating dedicated global capability centre (GCC) parks to enable tech innovation in the state, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said while addressing the audience at the Nasscom Tech Leadership Forum in Mumbai on Monday.

 

Over the last seven years, Maharashtra has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent (barring the COVID years), he added. Fadnavis said that technology will play a crucial role in making Maharashtra a trillion-dollar economy.

 

“If we continue to do that for the next four-five years, we will be the first sub-nation to reach a trillion-dollar economy. The government advisory council chaired by N Chandrasekaran has given us a roadmap to becoming a trillion-dollar economy. In that roadmap, a significant share could come from technology, and so, technology is something that will fast-track our ability to become a trillion-dollar economy,” Fadnavis said.

 

He added that this growth will be fuelled by AI and innovation led by AI.

 

“We have created a mission around AI. We have a team of business leaders with expertise in AI working towards charting a new AI policy. We (the government) want to embrace AI in all forms of life,” he said.

 

He said that some departments within the state government have also started using AI in their daily operations. “We have come up with an AI-led tool that reads large files, summarises the contents on one page, which can then be used to make informed decisions. This helps in moving files faster,” he said.

 

The government has earmarked a 300-acre piece of land for developing this city.

 

He also urged the tech community to participate in the formation of the proposed Innovation City. The government will come out with a paper regarding the contours of the city.

 

“N Chandrasekaran from Tata Sons volunteered to draft the paper on the Innovation City, and once it is ready, we will invite suggestions,” the Maharashtra chief minister said.

 

The state has also sharpened its focus on making Maharashtra a GCC hub, as India becomes a preferred destination for global firms to set up their offshore capability centres.

 

“We are creating a GCC park in Navi Mumbai. We also want to create a conducive ecosystem for GCCs in cities like Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), in addition to Mumbai,” Fadnavis said. He added that some initiatives being taken include ensuring a consistent power supply, for which the state plans to ramp up power capacity from the current 45 gigawatts to 75 gigawatts by 2030.