Union Budget 2025: ₹500 Crore AI Centre, More IIT Seats, and 50,000 Tinkering Labs Announced

Alankar Mishra

Author

Updated: 16-04-2025 at 12:35 PM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her eighth consecutive Budget, emphasised education, digital learning, and skill development. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ‘Viksit Bharat’, ensuring quality education, AI integration, and multilingual learning. The budget includes higher funding for education, expansion of IIT and medical infrastructure, and digital access for students.

Key Announcements

Announcement	Details
Atal Tinkering Labs	50,000 labs in government schools over 5 years to promote innovation.
Broadband in Schools	All government secondary schools to get broadband under BharatNet.
Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme	Digital books in Indian languages to support multilingual learning.
National Centres for Skilling	5 Centres of Excellence for job-ready skills & global training.
IIT Infrastructure Expansion	Additional 6,500 seats in 5 IITs, hostel expansion at IIT Patna.
₹500 Crore AI Centre for Education	AI integration in teaching, research, and digital learning.
Medical Education Expansion	10,000 new UG & PG medical seats this year, 75,000 seats in 5 years.

Budget 2025 Focusing On Education

Boosting Innovation: 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs

Over the next five years, the government plans to establish 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in government schools to promote creativity and scientific thinking. These labs will help students develop a culture of inquiry and problem-solving by giving them practical STEM experience.

Broadband for Government Schools & Digital Learning

All government secondary schools would get broadband connection as part of the BharatNet plan. Giving kids access to online learning resources will help close the digital divide. Additionally, by providing digital literature in Indian languages, the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme would improve regional language acquisition.

Skill Development Through National Centres of Excellence

In collaboration with international organisations, the government will create five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling. These facilities will concentrate on:

Curriculum prepared for the industry
Teacher training
Framework for skills certification
Regular evaluations of performance

This program will give young people sophisticated skills for the manufacturing industry's "Make for India, Make for the World" mission.

IIT Expansion: More Seats & Infrastructure

The student capacity in IITs has doubled from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the last 10 years. To meet growing demand, five IITs (established post-2014) will receive new infrastructure to add 6,500 seats. IIT Patna will also expand its hostels and campus facilities.

₹500 Crore AI Centre for Education

The establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Education will cost the government ₹500 crore. This institute dedicated to AI will:

Improve learning models based on AI
Encourage research driven by AI
Use AI in education to enhance instructional strategies.

This project ensures the digital transformation of education by building on earlier AI-focused initiatives.

Medical Education Expansion: 10,000 New Seats

The government has increased the number of places for UG and PG medical education by 130%, or 1.1 lakh, in the last ten years. Over the following five years, medical schools and hospitals will have added 10,000 more seats by 2025, increasing the total to 75,000.

Conclusion

By integrating AI, expanding IIT and medical seats, and implementing digital learning programs, the Union Budget 2025 enhances education. The government intends to prepare students for a technologically advanced future by investing ₹500 crore in AI research, 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, and broadband in government schools.

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