New Delhi, Delhi, 25th of March 2026 : Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) today. The Agenda of the meeting focused on the issues of Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Emerging technology and Electronics Hardware Manufacturing. The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Jitin Prasada, Members of the Consultative Committee, Secretary (MeitY) Shri. S. Krishnan and other senior officials of the Ministry. Senior officials from the Ministry conducted detailed presentations on the agenda topics, elaborating on key initiatives, their progress and future roadmap.
In his welcome remarks, Shri. Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined that AI and related emergent technologies are transforming the world today and it is thus a very relevant issue to take up for the Committee. He also informed the Committee that electronics manufacturing in the country has made significant progress in the last decade. While manufacturing has grown 6-fold, electronics exports have grown 8 times; the sector employs 25 lakh people in the country, added the Union Minister.
A presentation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies was made before the Committee, highlighting the transformative role of emerging technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, Quantum Computing and the Internet of Things in shaping the world today. The Committee was apprised of India’s progress in the AI sector, including the improved global ranking. India now ranks 3rd Global AI Vibrancy Index. The Committee was informed that this has been driven by policy support by the government, the talent pool available in the country and its vibrant startup ecosystem. AI use cases across various sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, judiciary and disaster management were discussed. Officials also outlined the IndiaAI Sovereign Stack aimed at ensuring digital self-reliance through indigenous models, compute infrastructure, datasets and skilling initiatives. Highlighting the rising profile of India in AI Leadership, as reflected in the successful organising of the India AI Impact Summit, the officials informed the Committee that necessary followup is also being done on the achievements of the Summit. Shri. Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Committee that the government’s support in the form of facilitating affordable GPU, has helped address one of the key barriers to growth of the AI ecosystem.
The presentation on Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) highlighted India’s emergence as a major global hub for electronics manufacturing, driven by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, a rapidly expanding digital economy, and a vibrant innovation ecosystem. The Committee was apprised of the significant progress made in recent years and government’s comprehensive policy support, including through key schemes such as PLI, ECMS, EMC and the Semicon India Programme to strengthen the sector. Shri. Ashwini Vaishnaw underlined that India’s export basket has seen a major shift in recent years, with mobile phones emerging as the country’s leading export item in 2025. This marks a significant milestone in India’s growing strength in electronics manufacturing and its deeper integration into global supply chains.
Informing the Committee about India’s emergence as a key hub for semiconductor design, Shri Vaishnaw stressed that with a growing share of global chip design work is now being undertaken by Indian talent. He apprised the Committee that the government has expanded chip design training capabilities to 315 academic institutions in India by providing access to world-class chip design tools. This initiative has enabled students across the country to design semiconductor chips and has created a strong talent pipeline.
Committee Members shared several valuable insights and suggestions on the issues discussed. These included issues like importance of AI education for all, strategic use of AI, environmental impact of data centres, value addition to electronics supply chain, the issues of e-waste, etc. Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw addressed the queries of members; he thanked them for their valuable suggestions and assured that their inputs would be duly considered.
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