State approves ₹22L for AI infra in higher and technical education

Maharashtra government has approved ₹22 lakh annual expenditure for setting up artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in higher and technical education department

Pune: The Maharashtra government on Friday approved ₹22 lakh annual expenditure for setting up artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in higher and technical education department (HTED). The decision is part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the state government’s 150-day action plan, aimed at modernising administrative systems and enhancing analytical capabilities across departments.

Maharashtra government has approved ₹22 lakh annual expenditure for setting up artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in higher and technical education department. (Getty Images/iStockphoto (PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

As per the government resolution (GR) issued on February 13, the state has entrusted M/s Ernst & Young LLP (EY) with the task of strengthening the department’s dashboard systems. Under the first use case, an AI Query Assistant will be deployed on existing HTED dashboard datasets. The dashboards will consolidate institutional, academic and administrative data, and the facility will enable advanced querying, real-time data interpretation and decision-support for policy formulation and monitoring.

The second case involves an AI Query Assistant on the human resource management system (HRMS) database. The HRMS platform manages service records, postings, promotions and other personnel-related data of department staff, and the AI integration is expected to facilitate intelligent search, automated responses and improved workforce analytics, the GR stated.

The proposal was approved during a meeting of the project implementation committee chaired by the additional chief secretary (higher and technical education) on February 11.