NITI Aayog has unveiled a landmark report titled “AI for Inclusive Societal Development”, presenting India’s first comprehensive roadmap to leverage artificial intelligence and frontier technologies for the empowerment of the country’s 490 million informal workers. The initiative, developed in collaboration with Deloitte, seeks to ensure that AI adoption supports every segment of society—not just the formal and white-collar workforce that has traditionally benefited from digital transformation.
Bridging the Digital Divide Through Mission Digital ShramSetu
At the core of the roadmap is the proposed Mission Digital ShramSetu, a national program to make AI accessible, affordable, and impactful for every worker. The mission envisions deploying technologies such as AI, blockchain, and immersive learning to tackle long-standing structural challenges including limited access to finance, low productivity, inadequate skilling, and the absence of social protection.
By creating interoperable digital ecosystems and AI-enabled skilling platforms, the mission aims to integrate informal workers—such as farmers, artisans, construction laborers, and caregivers—into the digital economy. The roadmap emphasizes that the transformation of India’s informal sector cannot rely solely on technology; it requires coordinated human intent, public-private partnerships, and targeted investments that ensure real inclusion.
Urgent Need for Collaboration and Policy Alignment
NITI Aayog has stressed that collaboration across government, academia, civil society, and industry is non-negotiable for this mission’s success. The report outlines actionable measures including cost reduction of frontier technologies, scalable AI-driven skilling, and the creation of innovation ecosystems tailored to the informal sector.
The roadmap warns of the high cost of inaction: at the current growth rate, informal workers’ average annual income could stagnate at $6,000 by 2047, far below the $14,500 threshold needed for India to achieve high-income status. Accelerating the adoption of inclusive AI is therefore seen as both an economic necessity and a social responsibility.
Towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047
The study positions inclusion not merely as a welfare goal but as the foundation for India’s $30 trillion Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Through the NITI Frontier Tech Hub, more than 100 experts from government, industry, and academia are now collaborating to implement this mission across 20+ sectors.
The Hub will guide long-term AI policy, foster frontier innovation, and enable sustainable, tech-driven growth that uplifts every segment of India’s workforce. If effectively implemented, Mission Digital ShramSetu could redefine India’s digital development model—making the promise of AI truly inclusive, participatory, and transformative.
