Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday approved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy 2026 which aims for an investment of over Rs 10,000 crore and the creation of 1.5 lakh job opportunities. The Cabinet also cleared a proposal for strengthening green energy usage and transmission capacity.

The AI Policy 2026 proposes the establishment of 6 AI Centres of Excellence to balance opportunities across the state and 5 AI Innovation Cities to strengthen the state’s AI infrastructure.

The state Cabinet’s nod for AI Policy comes two days after CM Fadnavis launched the ‘MahaChatur AI Chatbot’ which aims to streamline the journey from education to employment, providing a unified platform for skill development, job opportunities, and entrepreneurial guidance.

He highlighted India’s “demographic advantage,” noting that 65 per cent of the population is under the age of 35. “Industries are looking for skilled manpower, and our youth are looking for jobs. The ‘MahaChatur Chatbot’ will serve as a vital bridge between the two,” he stated.

“The AI-driven assistant, available via WhatsApp, offers a one-stop solution for skill training information and application processes, employment opportunity alerts, entrepreneurship guidance and market linkages and assessments and grievance redressal,” said the CM.

Further, the Cabinet also cleared strengthening green energy usage and transmission capacity through the MAGESTIC project (Maharashtra: Accelerating Green Energy and Storage Technologies Integration in Connected Grid). The project will be funded via a loan from the World Bank. The Cabinet has approved sending the preliminary project report to the Central Government.

In celebration of the ‘Social Equality and Harmony Year,’ the state honours the architect of the Indian Constitution globally. The Cabinet approved establishment of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Chair at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). This permanent Chair will provide Doctoral scholarships in the name of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Moreover, in a major push toward environmental sustainability, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a special commission to implement an ambitious campaign to plant 300 crore trees across the state. The commission will oversee the planning, implementation, and monitoring of green infrastructure projects.

The Cabinet also gave nod to substantially increase scholarship amounts for students with disabilities (Divyang) pursuing post secondary higher education. Scholarship amounts have been substantially increased for the first time in 12 years. The scholarship will now cover fees for universities, exam boards, admission, tuition, registration, libraries, periodicals, and medical examinations.

Additionally, the Cabinet has approved the allocation of 2.5 hectares of land at Nachane village in Ratnagiri district for the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (Central Government) to build a new school in a bid to enhance educational facilities for aspiring students in the Konkan region.

The Cabinet also cleared the revised assured career progression scheme for non-teaching staff in tribal schools. Non-teaching staff in government-aided Ashram schools (run by NGOs under the Tribal Development Department) will now receive the benefits of the revised ACP scheme after 12 and 24 years of regular service.

–IANS

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