CM Saini discusses AI, data-driven governance with World Bank team

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday held a meeting with a delegation of the World Bank in Chandigarh and discussed in detail ways to give a new direction to Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital governance, skill development and data-driven administration in the State.

The Chief Minister said that Haryana does not want to limit technology merely to innovation; rather, the government’s objective is to ensure that its benefits reach the common citizen directly. He said that technology is meaningful only when it makes people’s lives easier and makes government services more transparent, faster and more effective.

During the meeting, World Bank officials informed the Chief Minister that the AI Sandbox developed by the World Bank in collaboration with the Haryana Government will be showcased on the global stage at the Korea Digital Summit, to be held in Korea from October 19 to 22. IT ministers and digital sector experts from across the world will be apprised of its achievements during the summit. World Bank officials also invited Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini to participate in the summit.

The Chief Minister described the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) as one of the state’s most important digital initiatives and said that it is enabling eligible beneficiaries to receive the benefits of government schemes in a timely and transparent manner. He said that several states across the country are studying this model. Keeping in view the needs of the times, PPP 2.0 will now be developed to make it more modern and user-friendly.

He said that Haryana intends to move forward towards seamless exchange of information among various departments by developing a comprehensive Data Exchange Policy and Data Lake. This will make policy formulation and administrative decision-making more accurate and effective.

The Chief Minister urged the World Bank to expedite the launch of the Haryana AI and Development Project and said that the proposed AI Gurukul under the project would equip youth with skills aligned with future requirements. Special focus would also be laid on training as per industry requirements and developing skill centres in every district.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister also suggested developing a dedicated AI model for Haryana. He said that this model, by understanding the state’s laws, rules and government procedures, would help officials take quick and accurate decisions and provide citizens with faster, simpler and quality services.

The Chief Minister requested the World Bank’s cooperation in developing an Air Quality Decision Support System to make air quality management in the state more effective.

He said that officials who recently returned from a study tour of China had shared information about the modern systems being adopted there.