New Delhi: The Union government will offer free artificial intelligence (AI) training to over 550,000 Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) operating through Common Services Centres (CSCs), according to Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw. The announcement was made during the 16th foundation day event of CSCs.
This initiative to train Village Level Entrepreneurs forms part of the larger IndiaAI Mission, a centrally funded programme with a budget of Rs 10,371.92 crore aimed at expanding AI infrastructure, promoting indigenous AI development and supporting startups in the space.
CSCs, launched in 2006 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), serve as last-mile digital access points, especially in rural and semi-urban India. The training programme is expected to not only enhance digital literacy among VLEs but also bring AI applications closer to rural populations.
The government has set a target to upskill one million individuals under the IndiaAI Mission. VLEs will receive priority access to these training modules, which will be delivered at no cost.
“All of you would be given free AI training under the AI Mission, under which we have targeted upskilling around one million people. Around 550,000 VLEs would be given preference in this,” said Vaishnaw.
In addition to training, the Centre is exploring the creation of a unified integrated digital service framework to address operational challenges faced by VLEs across the country. This could potentially include a streamlined digital interface to consolidate existing services and improve user access.
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