Maharashtra targets ₹10,000 crore AI investments

Maharashtra approved a new artificial intelligence policy on April 29 that targets more than ₹10,000 crore in investment and 1.5 lakh jobs by 2031, according to state government statements and local media reports. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with the state positioning the plan as a roadmap for AI deployment across industry and public services. The policy, called Maharashtra Artificial Intelligence Policy 2026, also includes a ₹500 crore startup venture fund, five AI Innovation Cities and six Centres of Excellence. Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Minister Ashish Shelar said the policy’s primary objective was large-scale employment generation. ### What exactly did Maharashtra approve? The Maharashtra cabinet approved the Artificial Intelligence Policy 2026 at its April 29 meeting, with the plan running through 2031. The policy aims to attract over ₹10,000 crore in AI investment and create 150,000 employment opportunities, according to the official statement cited by multiple outlets. The decision was taken under Fadnavis, who chaired the meeting. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The policy is structured around seven pillars that include infrastructure, data ecosystems, skilling, innovation, startup support, sectoral deployment and governance, The Indian Express reported. Officials said the framework was designed for periodic updates as AI technology evolves. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### Where do the jobs and investment targets come from? Ashish Shelar said the policy’s main objective was large-scale employment generation, and the state set the jobs target at 1.5 lakh by 2031. The same policy also calls for training 200,000 youth and professionals in AI-related technologies to build a workforce for the sector. (indianexpress.com) The ₹10,000 crore investment target sits alongside a broader push to expand AI adoption in business and government. The state also plans to develop 50 AI tools and use-cases, according to the statement reported by Economic Times. ### What infrastructure is Maharashtra promising? (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The policy proposes a shared computing backbone with at least 2,000 graphics processing units, or GPUs, under a compute-as-a-service model for government departments and other users. The state said that infrastructure is intended to support AI development and deployment at scale. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Five AI Innovation Cities and six sectoral Centres of Excellence are also part of the plan. The government said those facilities would anchor AI ecosystems inside the state and support research, deployment and industry adoption. ### What is in the startup package? (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Maharashtra said it will create a ₹500 crore AI startup venture fund, with ₹250 crore to come from the state and the rest expected from private participants. The fund is meant to back AI startups and potential unicorns, according to the policy details reported by Economic Times and CNBC-TV18. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The state also plans to set up 12 AI incubators and offer grants of up to ₹1 crore for startups, with higher support for women-led ventures, according to Indian Express and CNBC-TV18. Indian Express reported grants of up to ₹1.25 crore for women-led ventures, while CNBC-TV18 reported support of up to ₹2.5 crore, indicating differing published descriptions of that component. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### How does the policy address language and public-sector use? Maharashtra plans to build datasets in Marathi, regional dialects and tribal languages and combine them in a State AI Data Exchange linked with national platforms. The policy also includes AI-based agents for citizen interaction with the administration, according to the official statement reported by Economic Times. (indianexpress.com) Ashish Shelar said Maharashtra would become the first Indian state to create a separate framework for ethical AI. CNBC-TV18 reported that the policy also includes annual AI-readiness audits for government departments. ### What happens next? The next phase is implementation through a proposed Maharashtra AI Mission, a Maharashtra Centre for Advanced AI Training built with industry-academia partnerships, and subsidy support for 5,000 MSMEs adopting AI tools. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The policy also provides for concessions on electricity tariffs, power subsidies and stamp duty, according to the reported cabinet statement. Maharashtra’s 2031 deadline now sets the timetable for the investment, jobs, skilling and infrastructure targets laid out in the April 29 approval.