Tamil Nadu to Establish AI Mission, Announces Finance Minister
Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS) – In a significant move, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced on Monday that the state would establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission aimed at developing guidelines for the constructive utilization of AI in various sectors such as education, employment, industry, research, and medicine. The AI Mission will also lay out clear protocols for the effective application of AI.
The mission will involve participation from professors of leading educational institutions in Tamil Nadu, executives from the electronics industry, and experts in the field of artificial intelligence. Minister Thennarasu made this announcement while presenting the budget for the financial year 2024-25 in the Assembly.
As part of the budget presentation, the minister also revealed other key initiatives. One such initiative is the extension of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast scheme to government-aided primary schools in rural areas, with a budget allocation of Rs 600 crore. Additionally, a special scheme will be introduced to incentivize the employment of women in the state, offering a payroll subsidy of 10 per cent for a period of two years to new industrial units providing direct employment to over 500 women, differently-abled, and transgender individuals from Tamil Nadu.
Furthermore, the state government aims to encourage the creation of high-paying jobs in new Global Capability Centres (GCCs) through a payroll subsidy of 30 per cent in the first year, 20 per cent in the second year, and 10 per cent in the third year for jobs with a monthly pay exceeding Rs 1,00,000. Additionally, the government will meet the higher education expenses and hostel fees of transgenders, with an allotted budget of Rs 2 crore for this purpose.
The establishment of the AI Mission and the various initiatives outlined in the budget highlight the state government’s commitment to harnessing AI for positive impact and advancing social welfare and economic development.
–IANS
aal/rad
