The Chhattisgarh AI Mission will set up five AI Centres of Excellence, open 20 AI data labs in its first year and train about 1.5 lakh government employees. The plan came out of the mission’s first steering committee meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel at Mahanadi Bhawan, Raipur, on 10 November 2026, the state’s public relations department said.

The meeting moves the state’s AI plans from announcement to delivery. Chhattisgarh joins other states building their own AI programmes, such as Andhra Pradesh, which recently cleared a physical AI policy.

What the Chhattisgarh AI Mission will build

According to the state government, the first year of work covers infrastructure, research and people:

• 20 AI data labs to support data and technical research
• Five Centres of Excellence, one each in the Raipur, Durg, Surguja, Bilaspur and Bastar divisions
• In Raipur, the centre’s work is being taken forward with NIT Raipur and IIIT Naya Raipur
• Proposals for research grants, chairs and fellowships with the state’s academic institutions

Spreading the centres across all five divisions, including Bastar and Surguja, means the mission is not limited to the capital region. States elsewhere have taken a similar route; Karnataka, for example, has approved an AI Centre of Excellence at IIIT Raichur.

Training 1.5 lakh government employees in AI

The largest single target is people. About 1.5 lakh state government employees will be trained to use AI in administrative work and to improve governance. In the first phase, 15,000 officials will receive specialised training through institutions such as IIIT, NIT and IIM.

The mission will also develop AI courses and digital learning material for school students and for higher and technical education, with a goal of training thousands of young people in the first year.

Sheel directed the Information Technology Department to work with other departments and draw up AI action plans based on each department’s needs. Secretaries from urban development, good governance, school education, finance, IT, industry, skill development, health and revenue attended the meeting.

Why it matters for AI in state governance

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai launched the ₹500 crore Mukhyamantri AI Mission earlier this year. A state government article published in September said the mission plans 100 AI labs and five Centres of Excellence, aims to connect about 6 lakh students and 1.5 lakh officials with AI, and seeks to make more than 50 government services more effective using AI. The same article said an AI-based data centre and AI SEZ is being developed in Nava Raipur with an investment of about ₹1,000 crore.

Department-wise action plans are the step that turns training into results. Other states are testing AI in public services, from Karnataka exploring Sarvam AI for intelligent governance to industry deployments inside Chhattisgarh such as BALCO’s AI humanoid assistant at its smelter. The test for Chhattisgarh will be how quickly the data labs and trained officials translate into AI tools that citizens actually use.

Key takeaways

• The Chhattisgarh AI Mission held its first steering committee meeting on 10 November 2026, chaired by Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel.
• The state will set up 20 AI data labs in the first year and five Centres of Excellence across its five divisions.
• About 1.5 lakh government employees will be trained in AI, starting with 15,000 officials through IIIT, NIT and IIM.

FAQ

What is the Chhattisgarh AI Mission?

It is the state’s ₹500 crore programme, launched by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, to expand the use of AI in governance, education, research and public services.

Where will the AI Centres of Excellence be set up?

One in each of the Raipur, Durg, Surguja, Bilaspur and Bastar divisions. Work in Raipur is being advanced with NIT Raipur and IIIT Naya Raipur.

How many government employees will be trained?

About 1.5 lakh employees, with 15,000 officials trained in the first phase through IIIT, NIT and IIM.

Featured image: Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel chairing the first steering committee meeting of the Chhattisgarh AI Mission at Mahanadi Bhawan, Raipur. Photo: Jansampark Chhattisgarh / DPR Chhattisgarh (official image)

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