Leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and use of drones across sectors get key focus in the Economic Survey 2022, released by the government on January 31.
This comes on the back of drone rules that were liberalised in August 2021 by the government. In addition, since the pandemic, the country has seen the launch of several applications by the government that leverage technology like AI for the benefit of the larger public.
Use of AI
Take for instance, AarogyaSetu mobile app. The app was launched to enable people to assess their risk of catching the COVID-19 infection. This was done using Bluetooth technology, algorithms and AI that calculates the risk of infection based on a person's interaction with others.
The other key application was Co-WIN, which supported the real-time vaccination activities such as registration for vaccine, tracking COVID-19 vaccine status of every beneficiary, stocks of vaccine, storage, actual vaccination process, and generation of digital certificates.
AtmaNirbhar Skilled Employees Employer Mapping (ASEEM), launched in July 2020 by Skill India, uses AI and machine learning to match the demand and supply gap in the market. It connects candidates with hyperlocal jobs, and estimates current and future demand for employers. The portal has 1.38 crore candidates registered as of December 31, 2021.
Drones
Drones are another key focus area that has the potential use case across sectors such as agriculture. By liberalising the rules for usage of drones, the government reduced the approvals needed from 25 to 4, slashed in fees, and expanded the area of drone operations.
“Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as drones, offer tremendous benefits to almost all sectors of the economy and can become an important propeller for growth due to their reach, versatility, and ease of use, especially in India’s remote and inaccessible areas,” the Economic Survey said.
One of the clear use cases, the survey noted, is in agriculture. “There is a need to explore options and promote use of alternative fertilizers such as Nano Urea and organic fertiliser which protect the soil, are more productive and contribute to higher nutrient use efficiency. Focus should be on use of new technology including drones and AI-based decision support systems, reduction in use of chemical fertilizers and use of low-cost organic inputs and supporting start-ups for innovations,” the Economic Survey said.
To train more people in the latest technologies, under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), students will be offered apprenticeship in the emerging and frontier technology such as Artificial Intelligence, drone technology, and other new evolving and emergent areas. The scheme currently has been extended for the next five years with an outlay of Rs 3,054 crore which will make around 9 lakh students employable through apprenticeship. The scope of the NATS has been broadened to give apprentices to students from humanities, commerce and science besides the engineering stream.
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