"Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity": Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
'Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity,' Pradhan said.
Speaking at the Conclave, Pradhan shared his thoughts on AI's transformative potential in reshaping the Indian education system.
Pradhan said that there are hardly any higher education institutions in India where AI is not discussed. He described AI as both inevitable and essential: 'Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity.'
The Union Minister added that increasing access to technology has created a highway of empowerment in students' lives.
He expressed optimism that India could effectively leverage AI, and said, 'India's human intelligence has the power to transform any emerging technology into an indigenous innovation.'
Pradhan shared the policy action required to prepare for the technological change, outlining efforts to build mass-scale AI literacy and support innovation in AI.
Pradhan commended the Centre of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) for hosting this timely and much-needed policy dialogue.
Chamu Krishna Shastri, Chairman of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Ministry of Education, also addressed the Padh AI Conclave and said there is a critical need to strengthen the role of Indian languages in the AI ecosystem. He added that AI should be purposeful and contextual.
Padh AI Conclave, spread over two days, brought forward diverse insights on the role of AI in shaping the future of Indian education.
Speakers examined how AI is expanding learning beyond classrooms, transforming higher education, and the bottlenecks in the existing institutions.
CPRG is a policy research think tank that aims to promote responsive and participatory policy-making. As an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)-recognised institution, it has established itself as a leading voice in technology policy through its 'Future of Society' initiative. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat to create genome database of tribal communities: what's the project, why
In a first in the country, the Gujarat government has announced a genome sequencing project to create a database from 29 tribal groups across 17 districts of the state. The exercise, a local extension of the recently completed Genome India Project (GIP), will be carried out over the next five years. The entire eastern belt of Gujarat, which shares borders with Rajasthan in the north, Madhya Pradesh in the east and Maharashtra in the south, has districts with a predominantly tribal population. The Genome India Project — its report was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January — saw 10,000 genomes from 83 diverse groups processed and stored at the Indian Biological Data Centre. It had around 1,800 samples from Gujarat, which included around 100 samples from tribal communities, not enough to represent them. Thus, the Gujarat Tribal Genome Sequencing Project aims to gain critical insight into the genetic makeup of these tribal groups, which, at 15% of the state's population, consist of approximately 1 crore people. This initiative is also expected to enrich the Central Genome India dataset. The project, approved in the Gujarat budget of 2025-26, will be helmed by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC). Implications of the project Mona Khandhar, Principal Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, said the understanding of genome characteristics will help the government in making more focused programmes. Subject enrollment will take place after a formal launch of the project by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, so that awareness begins before field researchers go to the villages. 'Our field teams will seek help from the local administration, communities, as well as the political leadership. This is why it was important to explain the project to MPs and MLAs. We are also taking help from researchers at Birsa Munda Bhavan and the Tribal Development Department,' said a scientist involved in the project. The project's six-point agenda includes capturing the unique diversity of India's population, improving diagnosis of rare diseases, supporting development of novel drugs, developing precision medical treatments tailored to genetic profiles, building a genomic reference panel for the tribal population, and boosting public health research infrastructure. Many among the tribal communities from Gujarat have excelled in sports. Director of GBRC Prof Chaitanya Joshi said, 'These tribes can be very good in, say, archery, or skills other communities may not have. So what are the genes associated with that? With this project, skill sets associated with genes can be identified.' Health aspect Health problems like malnutrition, anaemia, low BMI, prevalence of genetic diseases like sickle cell anaemia, G6PD deficiency are common in the tribal communities in Gujarat. Scientist and Joint Director at the GBRC Amrutlal K Patel said, 'So far, the medicines developed have been studied on the western population and we haven't explored the Indian genome. Diseases are more prevalent in specific communities and ethnicity also due to the Indian tradition of endogamy, as a result of which genome variations are conserved within castes.' Patel gave an example of how deaths due to organ failure were reported in certain tribes when they crossed 30 years of age. Two years ago, the GBRC researched some patients and their first degree family members, and found this was due to the mutation of the transthyretin (TTR) gene, resulting in the aggregation of protein that reached the organs, causing failure. Some mutations increase the chances of a disease, for instance BRCA1 and 2 genes in breast cancer. These are generally detected after 50 years of age and after tests. 'We can identify these in advance and design a policy that can prevent the prevalence of breast cancer. All these measures decline the disease burden on the community and thus the state government,' a scientist said. The process As part of this project, scientists will collect samples from 4,158 individuals from various tribal communities, including data on their physical measurements and blood biochemistry, and create a 2,000-strong diverse database of tribal genomes. 'We will genotype the samples and remove those that are genetically close to each other. Out of 4,158, we will do SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) type genotyping and take those with the most diverse genetics. The precaution is also because there might be bias during sample collection, which can then be eliminated at the analysis stage,' an official said. Of these, 378 will be trio samples. This means that samples will be taken of three members of the same family, including an individual as well as his/her biological parents. The other 3,780 will be individual samples. Apart from blood samples, stool samples will also be collected for microbial information. The role of the tribal department, according to Shahmeena Husain, principal secretary, will be to facilitate the technical team. 'We will facilitate the technical team as it will be a task to convince people to give samples.' Apart from name, education, medical history, information collected would include genealogical tree and addictions, physical characteristics like height, weight, BP, blood sugar, and waist measurement. The analysis After the samples have been collected, they will be stored at GBRC, where haematological and biochemical analysis of blood samples will take place. 'First, when the samples come from the field to the lab in Gandhinagar, they will be given Unique IDs. So those who receive the samples will neither know the gender nor the tribe of the person whose sample they are running through the process. This first round of encryption will be stored in our servers. Then, when it goes into the final process of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), the data will be encrypted for the second time,' said a researcher close to the project. Joshi said Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, which have 22% and 21% tribal population respectively, have shown interest in the project. 'Modalities on whether they want to be a part of it or contribute to it will be decided by the state, but if they approach us, we are ready.'
Mint
15 minutes ago
- Mint
PM Modi to visit UK, Maldives from July 23 to 26; bilateral talks and Independence Day celebrations in focus
The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday, 20 July 2025, announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United Kingdom and the Maldives between 23 and 26 July 2025, according to the official statement. During the first phase of the travel itinerary, PM Modi, at the invitation of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom from 23 to 24 July 2025, marking the Indian PM's fourth visit to Britain. According to the official announcement, PM Modi will hold talks on the entire India-UK bilateral relations and also hold discussions regarding the views on issues of regional and global importance. PM Modi is also expected to visit and meet King Charles III during his visit to the UK. India and the United Kingdom are both expected to review the progress of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with a specific focus on trade and economy, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate, health, education and people-to-people ties. The President of the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, has officially extended an invitation to PM Narendra Modi to visit the island nation as their 'Guest of Honour' for the 60th anniversary of the Independence of Maldives on July 26, 2025. The second part of PM Modi's travel itinerary will involve him visiting the Maldives from 25 to 26 July 2025, marking the Prime Minister's third visit to the island nation. PM Modi and President Muizzu will both hold discussions on issues of mutual interest and also account on the progress of the implementation of the India-Maldives Joint Vision for a 'Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership.' This mission was adopted during President Muizzu's visit to India in October 2024, which reflects India's attachment to its maritime neighbour, the Maldives. The Maldives 'continues to hold a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Vision MAHASAGAR. The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to further deepen and strengthen the close bilateral relationship,' said the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday, in an official statement.
Economic Times
15 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Don't panic, but act fast: Perplexity CEO on skills needed not just to survive AI job crisis but also thrive in career
Shift Focus from Scrolling to Skill-Building The Pace of Change Is Unforgiving Entrepreneurship as a Safety Net As artificial intelligence continues to advance at an accelerated pace, it is reshaping the global workforce and sparking concerns about widespread job displacement. Industry leaders have weighed in on how AI could eliminate traditional roles, especially in white-collar sectors. Among them, Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas is urging individuals—particularly young professionals—to move beyond panic and instead focus on adapting swiftly. In a recent conversation with Matthew Berman, he shared insights on the kind of skills and mindset needed not just to survive this transition, but to build a successful career in an AI-driven offered a blunt recommendation to the younger generation: spend less time mindlessly scrolling through social media and more time learning how to use AI tools . He emphasized that those who become proficient with these technologies will gain a strong advantage in the job market , as the gap between AI users and non-users noted that individuals at the forefront of AI adoption will be significantly more employable than those who resist or delay learning. His message was clear—embracing AI is now critical for career Perplexity CEO also acknowledged the immense challenge posed by the speed at which AI is developing. With major advancements occurring every few months, he pointed out that this pace is testing human adaptability like never warned that those unable to keep up risk being pushed out of the workforce. This concern aligns with statements from other tech leaders such as Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, who predicted AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs in the next five years. AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has also cautioned that artificial intelligence may soon take over much of the routine intellectual labor currently done by acknowledging the threat of job loss, Srinivas sees entrepreneurship as a viable path forward. He suggested that those affected by AI-driven changes could either start their own ventures using AI or join emerging companies that embrace these his view, the traditional employment model may shrink, but opportunities will emerge for those who can use AI strategically. He believes the next wave of job creation will come not from large corporations, but from smaller, nimble ventures led by individuals who understand how to integrate AI into their outlook is shared in part by others in the tech world who believe that AI won't just destroy jobs—it will redefine them. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has argued that AI will enhance human capabilities and allow people to focus on higher-value this optimistic take, Srinivas emphasized the urgency of the moment. He encouraged people to act quickly—not out of fear, but with a sense of responsibility for their own future. Mastering AI, he suggested, will soon be as fundamental as knowing how to use a computer.
