In December 2025, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), launched ‘Cyient AI Labs (CyAILS) – ‘VijAIpatha’, a pilot initiative to democratise access to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Robotics education in government schools, at a girls’ government school in Hosapete taluk, Vijayanagara district, Karnataka.
Exam Hints:
Initiative 1:
- What? Launch of VijAIpatha AI, STEM & Robotics labs
- By Whom? Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, MoF, MCA
- Implementer: Cyient Foundation in partnership with Karnataka Government
- Objective: Provide future-ready skills in AI, STEM, robotics, coding and digital innovation to government school students
- Budget: Approx. Rs 1 crore for three years
- Phase: Two phases: Phase 1 launches five pilot schools, and Phase 2 scales nationally as a benchmark model.
Initiative 2:
- What? Launch of Karnataka Strategic & Intelligence Unit (KSIU) and District Skill Groups(DSGs)
- Objective: Strengthen AI-based workforce planning and district-level skill development
- Scope: Statewide, including Bengaluru and six regional clusters
About VijAIpatha Initiative:
Collaboration: The Cyient VijAIpatha was launched collaboratively by the Cyient Foundation and the Government of Karnataka.
Objective: Democratizes AI and STEM education in rural and semi-urban government schools through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-led, scalable, and replicable pilot model.
Budget: The three-year pilot has an approximate budget of Rs 1 crore.
Phase: The initiative is structured in two phases: Phase 1 for pilot launch in five schools and Phase 2 for national-level expansion as a benchmark model.
Infrastructure: Labs are equipped with high-performance computers, AI-ready software, robotics kits, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, sensors, and secure broadband.
Students: The program benefits over 2,000 students from Classes 6 to 10, including nearly 1,200 girls at Amaravati PU College, Bengaluru (Karnataka).
Teachers: Over 200 teachers are trained to sustain program delivery and ensure long-term curriculum support.
Curriculum: Integrates Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) AI curriculum while aligning with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Digital India, and Viksit Bharat 2047.
Impact: Fosters innovation, career readiness, digital fluency, and serves as a benchmark for nationwide AI education rollout.
Karnataka Launches India’s First AI-Powered Skills Intelligence Unit:
In December 2025, the Government of Karnataka launched India’s first AI-powered Skills Intelligence Unit, the Karnataka Strategic & Intelligence Unit (KSIU), along with District Skill Groups (DSGs), to decentralize the technology ecosystem and bridge the skills gap through AI.
- The announcement was made by Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), at the Quest 2 Learn Summit 2025 hosted by Quest Alliance in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Karnataka Strategic & Intelligence Unit (KSIU):
- Integration: The AI-powered unit will integrate data via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) from universities, colleges, training institutes, and government databases, with an AI layer analyzing unified data to identify emerging opportunities, sectoral gaps, and regional workforce needs.
- Operation: Guided by a committee including industry leaders, the unit is expected to become operational within 3–4 months and will support evidence-based skill planning and policy-making.
District Skill Groups(DSGS):
- Structure: Chaired by the District Collector(DC), each group includes industry experts, academia, students, and entrepreneurs to design one-year, district-specific skill development plans aligned with local economic needs.
- Coverage: All districts of Karnataka are included, with six regional clusters outside Bengaluru strengthened through vision documents and multi-stakeholder workshops targeting development up to 2031–32.
About Karnataka:
Chief Minister (CM) – Siddaramaiah
Governor – Thaawar Chand Ghelot
Capital – Bengaluru
National Park (NP) – Anshi NP, Nagarhole (Rajiv Gandhi) NP
