Launch of IndiaAI, changes to IT Act likely to figure high on MeitY's 100-day agenda

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is currently headed by minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Nearly 20 key developments, including the launch of the IndiaAI Mission, amendments to IT Act and setting up of an apex digital public infrastructure (DPI) committee, are expected to be part of the ministry of electronics and information technology's (MeitY's) 100-day agenda, sources have said.

These are part of the 100-day agenda, which is being circulated internally and is expected to put into practice once the results are out on June 4 and the new government formed.

Most exits polls have signalled a win for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, giving a rare third straight term to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The IT ministry is planning to kickstart the India AI mission and  also complete the selection of BTech, MTech and PhD scholars under the India AI Future Skilling Programme by October, sources said.

Under the FutureSkills programme, the government will promote entry into AI courses in undergraduate, masters, and PhD programmes. It will include a model curriculum for AI and repository, a framework that categorises courses and programmes as per focus areas.

The first 100-day plan also includes setting up a new committee for DPI between July and October. The cabinet secretary may head the committee with IT ministry secretary as the member convenor, sources said.

It is not yet clear what the mandate of the committee is going to be.

A lot of policy work pending from the previous term such as the drafting of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, amendments to the IT Act 2000, notification of the National Data Governance Policy, is expected to make headway in the next 100 days.

The ministry has set a target of drafting of the DPDP rules and public feedback between June and August, sources said. The setting up of the data protection board is also on the anvil.

The notification of the National Data Governance Policy, laying down the rules and regulations for the collection and sharing of non-personal data, is expected between July and October, they added.

The National Strategy for Robotics is expected to be out by October. In September 2023, the ministry released the draft strategy, highlighting the “limited governance mechanisms” for robotics in India and also pointed out the absence of a separate robotics legislation. It recommended setting up an independent agency under the ministry called the Robotics Innovation Unit to lead implementation of the draft strategy.

The IT ministry may also come up with a separate scheme for component ecosystem. Recently,  a trade body representing major electronics manufacturers, including Asus, Dell, Google, Canon and Dixon, requested the government to introduce initiatives like the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electronic components and wearables.