Three AI Excellence Centres In India Soon: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Coimbatore, Oct 4 (KNN) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman revealed on Tuesday that the central government has proposed to set up three centres of excellence (COE) for artificial intelligence (AI) across India.

Interacting with students of a private college in Coimbatore, she expressed her wish that one those centres come up in Tamil Nadu.

However she said it cannot be forced on a state from Delhi underlining state-centre relations.

Delving further, the Union Minister said it was earlier difficult to trace tax evasions. “It was an impossible task before. But, with the aid of data mining and AI, the entire web of tax evaders could be caught easily. The society will get better due to AI,” she said.

Earlier in a credit outreach program, she distributed loans to the tune of Rs 3,749 crore to over one lakh beneficiaries including SHG members, MSME’s, farmers, street vendors and rural people in Coimbatore.

The FM said Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar were among other districts identified as ‘aspirational districts’ under the Centre’s scheme.

“They have reached the level of saturation as benefits have reached maximum people. Also, the government has launched a scheme to focus on ‘aspirational blocks’ in 500 blocks identified across the country,” she said.

In the morning, Nirmala Sitharaman cleaned the streets as part of ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ program (cleanliness drive) and visited CODISSIA Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre.  (KNN Bureau)