The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) got a 48% boost in the budget to over Rs 26,000 crore, much of which will be ploughed into the IndiaAI Mission and expanded production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for semiconductors, large-scale electronics and IT hardware.
Sameer Mathur, founder and managing director of Roinet Solution, concurred, saying the relatively modest allocation for AI investment raises concerns about India’s ability to remain competitive in the global innovation landscape, especially when compared to nations like the US and China.
Strengthening investments in AI will be essential to sustain long-term development and innovation, he said.
- Budget allocation for the national cybersecurity agency Cert-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) increased about 6% to Rs 255 crore in this year’s budget from Rs 241 crore in the revised budget estimate for FY25.
Cybersecurity projects under the Digital India Programme saw a 143% jump from Rs 322 crore under the revised estimate for FY25 to Rs 782 crore allocated in this year’s budget. Last year’s budget had allocated Rs 759 crores for cybersecurity projects.
These include initiatives related to security policy, compliance and assurance, security, incident-early warning and response, security training, enabling legal framework and collaboration.
The increased cybersecurity outlay is a step in the right direction, experts said.
“Given the faster-paced advancements on cyber warfare, the plan ahead should focus on long term interventions pivoted on capacity building, increased scale to cater for the larger digital landscape and risk reduction particularly from a supply chain perspective,” said Navin Kaul, partner, EY India. “GoI should also look at enabling cyber-led digital public goods which can offer viable innovations to cater for the larger universal concern on digital risks.”
With rising cybercrime, threats to critical infrastructure, and the expanding digital economy, initiatives like I4C, NCIIPC, Cyber Swachhta Kendra, Cyber Surakshit Bharat, and the Cyber Crime Prevention for Women and Children require enhanced resources, said Akshay Garkel, partner, Grant Thornton Bharat.
Also, Rs 5 crore has been allocated for setting up a Data Protection Board in FY26 under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, the draft rules for which were released on January 3. The allocation is up from Rs 2 crore in the July budget.
