This year's Union Budget 2025 announcements by Nirmala Sitharaman were much anticipated. This year the main highlight was around providing education, strengthening tech infrastructure and promoting AI, among others.
As the budget brief concludes, here are some of the key highlights around the tech space.
Tech Highlights: Union Budget 2025
Centre of Excellence for AI in education: Around five new infrastructures will be set up for the expansion of IIT. The main aim is to provide more education in hospitality, technology, startups, and entrepreneurship, among other fields. With this the Make for India and Make for the World will have long-term favorable implications on the future of millions of Indian talents.
Social Security Scheme: Providing safety for digital platforms. This also includes providing ID cards for students and broadband connection in government schools. Engaging the top 20 Indian tech companies to co-create flexible, agile, and responsive training modules will further enhance the program’s effectiveness.
Promoting tech startups and MSME: Will incentivize these companies to onboard interns and partnering with global tech giants. The main aim is to offer international internship opportunities. This will eventually help to provide fellows with exposure to cutting-edge technologies and global best practices.
Credit cards for farmers: Farmers will be allowed a credit of about 5 lakh. The aim is to help farmers and empower them digitally. The KYC procedures will be simplified for them.
The future roadmap
With strategic investments in education, skilling, and inclusion, The Union Budget 2025-26 lays the foundation for a future-ready workforce and an inclusive growth story, aligning with the vision of Amrit Kaal. The announcement of a Deeptech Fund of Funds and the provision of 10,000 fellowships for tech research at IITs and IISc under the PM Research Fellowship Scheme mark a transformative step toward fostering innovation and technological self-reliance.
Looking ahead, "To maximize the impact of these initiatives, it is imperative to integrate industry internships into the fellowship framework, akin to a PMIS (Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme) for highly skilled professionals. This will ensure that education and skills remain industry-relevant and aligned with the demands of a fast-paced, disruptive tech world," Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, Vice-President, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship.
