The North News
New Delhi, November 5
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday launched the India AI Governance Guidelines, a landmark framework designed to promote safe, inclusive, and responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across all sectors under the IndiaAI Mission. The guidelines were officially released by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in the presence of S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY; Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY and CEO, IndiaAI Mission; Kavita Bhatia, Scientist ‘G’ & COO, IndiaAI Mission; and Prof. B. Ravindran of IIT Madras. Senior officials including Dr. Preeti Banzal and Dr. Parvinder Maini from the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser also attended the event.
The launch marks a key milestone ahead of the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026, underscoring India’s growing leadership in global AI governance. According to MeitY, the guidelines provide a comprehensive governance framework to encourage innovation while ensuring AI technologies are developed and deployed safely, ethically, and equitably. The framework includes four major components:
- Seven guiding principles (Sutras) for ethical and responsible AI.
- Key recommendations across six pillars of AI governance.
- An action plan with short-, medium-, and long-term goals.
- Practical guidelines for industry, developers, and regulators to ensure transparent, accountable AI deployment.
Speaking at the event, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, said, “Our focus remains on using existing legislation wherever possible. At the heart of it all is human centricity — ensuring AI serves humanity and improves lives while addressing potential harms.”
Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood emphasized that the guiding principle of the framework is “Do No Harm.” He added,
“We focus on creating sandboxes for innovation and ensuring risk mitigation within a flexible, adaptive system. The IndiaAI Mission will inspire many nations, particularly across the Global South.”
Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY, and CEO, IndiaAI Mission, noted that the framework evolved through extensive deliberations and public consultations.
“As AI continues to evolve rapidly, we refined the final guidelines with feedback from multiple sectors. The government remains committed to ensuring AI is accessible, affordable, and inclusive — building a safe, trustworthy, and responsible ecosystem that drives innovation and strengthens India’s AI economy.”
The guidelines were drafted by a high-level committee chaired by Prof. Balaraman Ravindran of IIT Madras, and included representatives from government, academia, and industry — among them Ms. Debjani Ghosh (NITI Aayog), Dr. Kalika Bali (Microsoft Research India), Mr. Rahul Matthan (Trilegal), and Mr. Sharad Sharma (iSPIRT Foundation).
The India AI Governance Guidelines are expected to serve as a model for global best practices, reaffirming India’s commitment to fostering responsible and human-centric AI innovation.
