MUMBAI: Maharashtra cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Wednesday approved the ‘Maharashtra Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy-2026’, intending to increase efficiency in staggering and time-consuming administrative work, industry, policy decisions and public services.
The state government’s Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence has prepared the AI policy 2026.
The state government has decided to increase the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) in all major sectors of government.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the objective of the AI policy is to attract over Rs 10,000 crore investments and generate more than 1.5 lakh jobs by 2031.
As per the cabinet note, the Maharashtra AI policy will be implemented on the lines of the ‘India AI Mission ', by promoting research, innovation and responsible governance.
CM Fadnavis said that there are many countries that are competing in the field of artificial intelligence at the global level, and notably, Maharashtra has set its own goal and established itself as a 'National Centre for Ethical and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence Development'.
"Under the Maharashtra AI Mission, we plan to provide artificial intelligence skills training to two lakh youth and professionals in the State. The spirit of the policy is that Maharashtra should be recognised as a reference State for the 'India AI Mission' in the development of ethical artificial intelligence," he said.
The cabinet note also reads that the AI policy has been built on seven pillars.
The first and most important pillar is the development of state-wide AI infrastructure. It plans to provide at least 2000 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) computing capacity and set up a system so that government departments can use these facilities through the concept of 'Compute as a Service'. AI cities will also be developed in five innovation areas.
The second important pillar is the use of local data. It includes the creation of datasets of regional dialects and tribal languages, including Marathi, and the establishment of a 'State AI Data Exchange'. The state system will be linked to the central government's 'AI Kosh' platform.
The third pillar plans to set up a 'Maharashtra Advanced Artificial Intelligence Training Centre' (MCAT). This centre will work in dual partnership with industry and academic institutions.
The AI policy has a special provision to bring small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into the AI sector. The 20 per cent subsidy will be given to 5000 MSMEs on AI implementation costs, and a central platform, Maha AI Tools Hub, will be set up.
A dedicated 'AI Startup Venture Fund' of Rs 500 crore will be set up to strengthen the startup ecosystem, in which the government is expected to contribute Rs 250 crore, and the industry is expected to contribute Rs 250 crore.
The policy also aims to support the creation of at least one AI unicorn in the state. Each startup will get a subsidy of up to Rs 1 crore, and women-led startups will be given up to Rs 1 crore and additional financial assistance of twenty-five per cent.
The fifth pillar of AI policy is to create twelve AI incubators that will be set up across the state.
Under the sixth pillar, Centres of Excellence (CoE) will be set up in six sectors, namely health, agriculture, education, urban development, Marathi language-culture and finance-revenue.
The seventh and final pillar is to create a permanent framework for ethical AI use, and an annual AI readiness audit will be made mandatory in every government department.
