Odisha unveils AI roadmap, to set up mission and labs across institutes

Odisha unveils AI policy roadmap with plans for AI Mission, research labs and innovation initiatives to drive governance, startups and digital ecosystem growth

In a significant push towards building a robust digital ecosystem, the Odisha government has issued detailed operational guidelines to implement its newly formulated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy, outlining an institutional framework and a structured roadmap for the adoption of AI across governance and public service delivery.

 

Odisha was among the first states to unveil a dedicated AI policy to strengthen service delivery, governance and boost the economy. As part of the policy, the state government will establish a state-level Odisha AI Mission, designed on the lines of the national AI Mission, to drive coordinated and outcome-oriented implementation. The mission will function under a two-tier structure comprising an AI Taskforce and an AI Cell, ensuring both strategic oversight and ground-level execution. 

 

A dedicated AI Cell will be set up under the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) to serve as the technical and operational backbone of the mission. The AI Cell will support innovation by enabling startups and research institutions to co-develop Odisha-specific AI solutions, while also promoting AI adoption in governance to improve efficiency and decision-making. It will provide funding facilitation, mentorship and incubation support for AI startups. 

To strengthen technical capabilities, the government will institute dedicated AI technology development teams within the cell. These teams will focus on prototyping, localisation of AI solutions to Odisha’s socio-cultural and linguistic context, and continuous technical support to departments for piloting and scaling use cases.

 

A key feature of the operational guidelines is the introduction of AI innovation challenges, aimed at crowd-sourcing cutting-edge solutions from startups, researchers and industry players to address governance challenges in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, disaster management and public service delivery. These challenges will follow a multi-stage evaluation process, with selected entities receiving pilot funding and opportunities for scale-up.

 

The guidelines also focus on community engagement and inclusivity, mandating consultations with local communities, NGOs and stakeholders for validating AI use cases and ensuring societal acceptance. It will also promote citizen participation in data annotation through incentivised and gamified platforms, including the involvement of grassroots workers and cultural groups.

 

In a bid to foster transparency and innovation, the Odisha government will adopt an “open-first” approach, encouraging the use and development of open-source AI tools, datasets and models. A State Open AI Hub will be created to host these resources, along with hackathons and micro-grants to support contributors.

 

The government will strengthen collaborations with academic and corporate institutions. As part of this, state-of-the-art AI labs will be established at IIT Bhubaneswar, NIT Rourkela, IIIT Bhubaneswar, and the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, focusing on research, skilling and applied innovation. Joint research and development projects, fellowships and internships in priority sectors will be encouraged.

 

The state has also planned to set up an AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) operating on a hub-and-spoke model, bringing together government, academia, industry and startups. The CoE will focus on AI adoption in governance, startup enablement, capacity building and community development, with clearly defined performance metrics and quarterly evaluations.

 

Additional Chief Secretary of Electronics and IT Vishal Kumar Dev said the state is set to take a decisive leap into the artificial intelligence space with the proposed establishment of India’s first sovereign AI hub, following a strategic partnership with artificial intelligence company Sarvam AI.

 

“The company has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government to set up the ambitious AI hub with a proposed investment of about ₹20,000 crore. The project is a landmark initiative that will anchor India’s sovereign AI capabilities. The proposed AI hub is expected to generate around 5,000 high-skilled jobs — both direct and indirect — focused on advanced AI-driven infrastructure,” he said.