PM announces AI training for 1 crore youth

New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a series of initiatives and targets spanning artificial intelligence, education, sports, civil defence, semiconductor manufacturing, nuclear energy and women-led development as he laid out priorities for India's drive towards becoming a developed nation. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 80th Independence Day, PM Modi said 1 crore young people would be trained in artificial intelligence skills over the next year. He also announced plans to create a large voluntary civil defence force equipped to deal with modern security challenges. India would also target 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, seek to start five new nuclear reactors within the current decade, establish more semiconductor plants and raise its target for "Lakhpati Didis" - rural women earning at least 1 lakh rupees a year - to 6 crore, or 60 million. The PM said 1 crore youth would receive training in AI skills over the next one year. Referring to the rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence, he said the initiative would equip India's youth with capabilities to lead in the global AI landscape. PM Modi said India's Digital Public Infrastructure, available talent, and teachers would be brought together to create a complete network for providing free coaching to young people across the country. He also announced plans to create a vibrant Civil Defence network to meet changing security challenges, saying the nature of warfare had changed and was no longer necessarily confined to national borders. Modern conflicts, the PM said, could affect refineries, the banking sector, data centres, factories and other critical infrastructure. He said Civil Defence arrangements developed according to the wars of the previous century had become outdated. Citizens would therefore be familiarised with modern systems and a large voluntary Civil Defence force capable of responding to contemporary challenges would be developed, PM Modi said. He highlighted the strategic importance of semiconductor chips to the digital and technological economy and said India was moving towards self-reliance in the sector. The PM said three semiconductor plants had already started operations and production from these facilities had begun to be exported. India would establish another five to eight semiconductor plants over the next seven to eight years, PM Modi said. He described self-reliance in semiconductor manufacturing as an important pathway towards achieving "Viksit Bharat", or developed India. The PM also set a target of 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, highlighting the growing energy requirements associated with semiconductors, artificial intelligence and data centres. He said India aimed to start five new nuclear reactors within the current decade as it seeks to strengthen energy security and expand nuclear power. PM Modi also said India had achieved an important milestone this year in fast breeder nuclear technology, calling it a significant step towards self-reliance in nuclear fuel. He also raised India's target for "Lakhpati Didis" from three crore to six crore, highlighting the role of women in nation-building and the rural economy. The PM said the earlier target of creating three crore Lakhpati Didis had already been surpassed. India would now move ahead with a target of six crore Lakhpati Didis, he said. The creation of another three crore Lakhpati Didis would bring about a major transformation in the rural economy through the strength of women, PM Modi said.