Budget 2025: Union Budget proposes to set up an AI centre of excellence on education

The Union Budget’s education announcements made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday (February 1, 2025) were largely digitisation, AI and high end capabilities.

Below are the specifics.

Also read: Union Budget 2025 LIVE updates 

In addition to centres of excellence on Artificial Intelligence in agriculture, health and sustainable cities, this budget has proposed to set up an AI centre of excellence on education.

Digital-form of Indian language books

A Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme to provide digital-form of Indian language books for school and higher education. Five third-generation IITs set up after 2014 such as IIT Goa, Dharwad and so on will be supported to take in 6,500 more students. IIT Patna to have expanded hostels and other infrastructure capacity. The budget speech notes that the total number of students in 23 IITs has more than doubled — from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years. 

Also read: Union Budget 2025 political reactions LIVE updates

Ten thousand more seats in medical colleges and hospitals will be added this year as part of an initiative to add 75,000 seats in the next 10 years. The Economic Survey had said: “The WHO standard norm of 1:1000 seems to be attainable by 2030 with a conservative 50,000 doctors being licensed every year till 2030.”

A key new initiative is the setting up of 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs will be set up in government schools “to cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation, and foster a scientific temper among young minds.” This will come on top of providing broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools and Primary Health Centres in rural areas.

Also read: Union Budget 2025 industry reactions LIVE updates

On skilling, the budget talks about setting up five National Centres of Excellence for skilling with global expertise and partnerships to equip our youth with the skills required for “Make for India, Make for the World” manufacturing. The partnerships will cover curriculum design, training of trainers, a skills certification framework, and periodic reviews.