National AI Skilling Initiative

Recently, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched the National AI Skilling Initiative on March 23, 2026. It has been introduced through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), in partnership with Google and YouTube, with the aim of strengthening India’s media, broadcasting, and digital sectors, and promoting the “Orange Economy” or creative economy.

The creative economy includes industries where economic value is primarily generated from creativity, culture, technology, and intellectual property.

The National AI Skilling Initiative aims to strengthen AI capabilities in sectors such as animation, visual effects, gaming, comics (AVGC), and media technology.

Under this initiative, 15,000 participants from the creative and media sectors will be trained.

Implementation: It is being implemented through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT).

It will be conducted in two phases:

Phase I

• It will focus on large-scale foundational AI learning.
• Training will be delivered through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI learning paths.
• Participants will undergo the following courses:
  • AI Essentials
  • Prompting Essentials
  • Introduction to Generative AI
  • Generative AI Leader Path
• Successful completion of this phase will be mandatory to progress to the next stage.

Phase II

• It will focus on advanced, hands-on, and project-based specialization for the creative industry.
• Training will be conducted in major cities across the country.

Significance

This initiative will help creators, media professionals, students, and developers build future-ready skills.

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Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP)

Recently, the Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises informed the Rajya Sabha about the Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP).

• It is a demand-driven Central Sector Scheme.
• Its objective is to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and ensure their holistic development through a cluster-based approach.
• Under this programme, State Governments submit proposals for the establishment of Common Facility Centers (CFCs) and for the creation/upgradation of Infrastructure Development (ID) projects as per the needs of the clusters.

🔹 Objectives

• To promote the sustainability and growth of MSEs by addressing common issues such as technology upgradation, skill development, quality improvement, and market access.
• To build the capacity of MSEs through collective support mechanisms such as self-help groups, consortia, and upgradation of associations.
• To create or upgrade infrastructure in new and existing industrial areas/clusters of MSEs.
• To establish Common Facility Centers (CFCs) for services like testing, training, raw material depots, effluent treatment, and support to production processes.
• To promote green and sustainable manufacturing technologies in clusters, enabling units to adopt eco-friendly production processes.

🔹 Components of the Scheme

➤ 1. Common Facility Centers (CFCs)

• Creation of tangible assets for shared use in industrial areas.

➤ 2. Infrastructure Development (ID)

• Development of infrastructure in new or existing notified industrial estates, including flatted factory complexes.

🔹 Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)

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