Clone of Chhattisgarh To Spend ₹500 Crore On 'AI Mission' Over Next Five Years

The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Wednesday approved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission under which ₹500 crore will be spent over five years to promote good governance, new technologies, skill development and digital economy.

It also gave the nod for land allotment at a concessional rate to state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) for setting up Chhattisgarh's first Heavy Earth Moving Equipment manufacturing plant, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said.

He was speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhavan.

The Chhattisgarh State AI Mission, aligned with the Government of India's IndiaAI Mission, aims to position the state as a responsive, innovation-driven and future-ready digital state, Sao said.

Under the mission, the state will establish 100 AI Data Labs and five Centres of Excellence, support more than 300 AI startups, and provide AI training to six lakh students and 1.5 lakh government employees.

Besides, over 50 AI-enabled public services will be developed to improve governance and public service delivery, Sao added.

The upcoming BEML Heavy Earth Moving Equipment manufacturing plant is expected to attract major investments, generate employment for the local youth and provide direct and indirect benefits to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the deputy CM said.

In other decisions, the cabinet approved the first phase implementation of the Works and Account Management Information System (WAMIS) in the Public Works Department for digital management of construction projects.

Developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, the platform will integrate project approval, e-estimates, e-procurement, electronic measurement books (e-MB), bill payments, accounting and quality monitoring on a single digital platform. The system will later be extended to other construction and infrastructure departments, Sao said.

The finance department was granted approval to secure a ₹15-crore grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the "Anjor LIGHT (Anjor Linked Implementation & Guidance for Holistic Tracking)" technical assistance project to support the implementation of the Chhattisgarh Anjor Vision 2047 document.

The three-year project, to run from December 1, 2026, to November 30, 2029, will involve no financial contribution from either the state or the central government, Sao said.

It will focus on strengthening public financial management, developing the public-private partnership ecosystem, promoting green and blended finance, improving the efficiency of state-owned enterprises, developing climate-resilient projects and preparing a pipeline of priority projects under Vision 2047 through a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU), he said.

The cabinet also approved implementation of the State Single Nodal Agency (S-SNA) model for state-funded schemes on the lines of the Centre's Single Nodal Agency system for centrally sponsored schemes to ensure more transparent, secure and efficient utilisation of government funds.

It also approved a proposal allowing the Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company Limited (CSPGCL) to raise up to ₹200 crore through non-convertible debentures (NCDs) or bonds to be listed on stock exchanges.

The state government will provide a guarantee, including exemption from guarantee fees on repayment of principal and interest, to facilitate the fund-raising, Sao said.

The cabinet also approved amendments to guidelines under the Chief Minister Gram Sadak Evam Vikas Yojana. The changes allow construction of cement concrete roads and drains in internal village lanes, remove the mandatory requirement of earthwork under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme before road construction, and expand the scheme's eligibility to cover rural roads not included under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana or any other scheme, Sao said.

The revised guidelines also permit funding from sources such as NABARD loans, environment and infrastructure development funds and District Mineral Foundation resources.