NITI Aayog calls for Mission Digital ShramSetu to make AI accessible for workers

New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) NITI Aayog on Wednesday called for 'Mission Digital ShramSetu', a proposed national mission to create the roadmap and ecosystem that will make Artificial Intelligence (AI) accessible, affordable, and impactful for every worker.

The Aayog, in a report titled 'AI for Inclusive Societal Development', said the mission will harness AI, blockchain, immersive learning, and other frontier technologies to dismantle structural constraints - ranging from financial insecurity and limited market access to lack of skilling and social protection.

It said 'Mission Digital ShramSetu' will empower informal workers with tools and platforms that will amplify their skills, increase productivity, and ensure dignity in work.

According to the report, the proposed mission emphasises building inclusion that requires human intent, coordinated action, and collaboration across government, industry, academia, and civil society.

"Only then can AI serve as a true equaliser - lifting the millions at the margins into the mainstream of India's growth story and turning the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 into reality," it said.

The report said the roadmap also underscores the high cost of delay: at the current trajectory, informal workers' average annual income will stagnate at USD 6,000 by 2047 - far below the USD 14,500 target necessary to secure high-income status for India.

"Immediate, coordinated action is essential to avoid leaving millions behind and weakening India's growth story," it said.

According to the report, most discussions and reports on AI focus on white-collar professionals and predict an almost certain loss of jobs in the segment in the absence of urgent interventions.

It added that little attention, if any, is paid to how AI can serve India's 490 million informal workers, the very people who form the backbone of our economy.

Releasing the report, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary said empowering India's informal workers is not just an economic priority; it is a moral imperative.

"The goal of digital skilling in AI for workers aligns perfectly with our national skilling agenda by leveraging AI and frontier technologies to make learning adaptive, accessible, and demand-driven," Chaudhary said.

By bringing together government, industry, and civil society, he said, this mission will ensure that every worker - whether a farmer, artisan, or healthcare aide - has the skills, tools, and opportunities needed to thrive in the digital economy of tomorrow.

NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said, "If we are serious about transforming the lives of India's 490 million informal workers, collaboration is not optional - it is non-negotiable." Subrahmanyam said this goal demands cross-functional actions from focused R&D that reduce the cost of frontier technologies, to building a sustainable ecosystem of innovation tailored to the informal sector, to skilling and reskilling at scale.

"Only by uniting government, industry, academia, and civil society can we ensure that this mission delivers not just technology adoption, but real, lasting empowerment," he said.

The report also highlighted that five core challenges, namely financial insecurity, limited market access, lack of skilling, inadequate social protection and low productivity, continue to hold back India's informal segment from realising its full potential.

"The mentioned challenges are rooted in four deeper systemic barriers: lack of trust, poor access and usability of services, low awareness and skills and outdated tools and processes," it added. PTI BKS BKS SHW