FM Sitharaman launches 'VijAIpatha' labs in govt schools in Karnataka

HAMPI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched Cyient AI Labs (CyAILS) 'VijAIpatha', aimed at democratising access to Artificial Intelligence, STEM and Robotics education in government schools here.

In a series of posts on 'X', the minister's office shared pictures of the initiative launched at a girl's government school in Hosapete taluk and said that under the pilot phase, five world-class AI, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Robotics laboratories are being established in government schools.

Each lab will be equipped with high-performance computers , AI-ready software, robotics kits , IoT devices, sensors and secure broadband connectivity. "Aligned with NEP 2020, Digital India and Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi's mission of Viksit Bharat 2047, the programme integrates CBSE's AI curriculum and strengthens technology-enabled learning in public education," it said.

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Focusing on rural and semi-urban India, the initiative introduces future technologies at the school level, helping build early digital fluency, computational thinking and innovation capacity among students, the minister's office said.

"Benefiting over 2,000 students and training more than 200 teachers, 'VijAIpatha' is a scalable CSR model fostering innovation, career readiness and grassroots digital empowerment," it added.

According to the office, the initiative has been designed as a scalable, replicable and sustainable model that can be adopted across districts and states in collaboration with government education departments, positioning it as a benchmark CSR model for a national AI education rollout.