Embracing Technology! Over 30 Lakh Govt Officials Will Be Trained In AI For Effective Governance

Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister holding several ministries, said on Friday (October 21) that over 30 lakh officials in the central and state governments will be trained and exposed to emerging technological advancements like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and machine learning by 2023. The initiative aims to make governance more effective and provide service delivery at the grassroots level.

He said India has 25 training institutions at the central level, 33 administrative training institutions at the state level, and other civil service training institutions, besides the Capacity Building Commission and the Wadhwani Institute of Technology and Policy (WITP), which will collaborate to achieve this noble mission.

Training For AI, Blockchain & Machine Learning

The Minister of State for Personnel said that technologies such as AI and machine learning are capable of detecting fraud in Goods and Services Tax (GST) and income tax returns. Further, blockchain can be utilised to secure certificates and records and make data-driven decisions through analytics. He added that civil servants would, in the coming time, use these techniques in administration and day-to-day work.

Singh highlighted the Indian growth story under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been primarily driven by technology adoption in governance, reported NDTV.

He cited some examples of technology adoption: the use of Aadhaar for vaccine administration and its delivery through drones in challenging areas and the JAM trinity to link Jan Dhan accounts, mobile numbers and Aadhaar cards to plug the leakage of government subsidies through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), among others.

'One Must Stay Open To New Developments'

The minister made the announcements during his address at a two-day workshop at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in New Delhi on "Emerging Technology for Good Governance" for heads of Central Training Institutions (CTIs) and State level Administrative Training Institutions (ATIs).

He stressed that one must stay open to new developments in the field of science and technology and be constantly on the lookout for new science that can enhance the work and results.

Singh said that PM Modi has introduced innovation in governance and has made it technology-driven.

He said it is evident that technology is and will be the go-to resource during uncertainty and altering governance issues and accentuated that for a nation as extensive and diverse as India, the adoption of technology is rather mandatory to ensure the far reach of governance.

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