CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has earmarked Rs 398 crore in its revised budget estimates for the artificial intelligence, information technology and digital services department, as the state moves to widen its digital governance push and cement its position as one of India’s leading IT export hubs.
The allocation underwrites an expansion of the Tamil Nadu Artificial Intelligence Mission (TN AI Mission), which the government says will be broadened beyond AI to cover quantum technology, animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, and extended reality – collectively branded AVGC-XR. Officials have flagged specific application areas, including healthcare, agriculture, education, citizen services, urban administration and social welfare.
Official sources said the focus will now shift towards supporting businesses in AI adoption. “We are home to a large number of MSMEs, both IT and manufacturing. The focus will be on how AI can be used for businesses to grow and adapt to technological change. For this, we are going to set up centres of excellence, as announced by the finance minister,” an official said.
Skilling and upskilling will be another priority, the official added. Major announcements have already been made for schools and higher education institutions, while a parallel effort will target upskilling professionals, including government employees and workers in factories and industries.
The funding push comes against the backdrop of a sector the government describes as central to its economic identity. Tamil Nadu’s IT industry now generates export revenues exceeding `2.5 lakh crore annually and employs more than 20 lakh people directly and indirectly, according to state figures.
Digital service delivery is also being scaled up. The government plans to upgrade all e-Sevai citizen service centres to a 2.0 version with high-speed internet connectivity and an expanded menu of welfare services. “Based on the announcement, we have made a detailed framework and prepared an action plan already, based on the Vetri Tamilagam Mission document. It is now before the government, and once approved, we are likely to get the formal orders,” an official told TNIE.
Separately, the Namma Arasu WhatsApp chatbot – currently offering 76 services across 20 departments – is to be expanded to cover 275 public welfare services, a nearly fourfold increase in scope.
“We are planning to expand it by this financial year,” the official said. “There has been good feedback on the service. The number of steps involved in filing an application through WhatsApp needs to be minimised, and process re-engineering is under way. How fast we complete that re-engineering will determine how soon we can roll out the Namma Arasu WhatsApp chatbot with 275 public welfare services.”
The initiatives are framed by the government as part of a “responsible AI” approach to administration, aimed at making public services faster, more transparent and more accessible.
Beyond AI
The allocation underwrites an expansion of the TN AI Mission, which the government says will be broadened beyond AI to cover quantum technology, animation, visual effects, gaming, comics, & extended reality – collectively branded AVGC-XR