SRINAGAR, September 24, 2026 – In a significant move toward digital transformation and technological empowerment, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has officially initiated the process of establishing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre of Excellence. Outlining its forward-looking strategy in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, the administration disclosed that it is actively exploring the development of comprehensive IT and IT-enabled services infrastructure, including the setting up of dedicated IT parks across the Union Territory. Responding to a specific query raised by MLA Tanvir Sadiq regarding technological infrastructure, the government detailed that AI laboratories, specialized learning centers, and overarching Centres of Excellence are proposed to be developed at suitable institutions and strategic locations. This expansive rollout will be executed in a phased, need-based, and resource-specific manner, heavily contingent upon the availability of robust technical expertise, necessary funding, and foundational infrastructure.
To rapidly build specialized human capital, the government’s approach focuses strongly on the optimal utilization of existing educational and technical facilities. Existing institutional frameworks, particularly Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnic colleges across Jammu and Kashmir, are proposed to be heavily leveraged to facilitate high-quality AI skills training and provide crucial access to modern laboratory and digital learning facilities. While detailing this comprehensive roadmap for sustainable AI capabilities, the government clarified that there is currently no immediate proposal to establish an AI laboratory or a Centre of Excellence specifically in the Zadibal constituency, directly addressing MLA Sadiq’s primary question. However, the administration assured the House that proposals for establishing such advanced technological facilities in Zadibal could be actively considered in the future, in strict accordance with the government’s overall IT policies, feasibility assessments, and the equitable distribution of digital resources across the region.
Published by True Roots Media Network