Sitharaman Urges Use of AI for Urban Solutions, Flags Underutilisation of ITIs

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday addressed NITI Aayog’s event on the AI Roadmap and Frontier Tech Repository, urging the use of artificial intelligence to tackle India’s urban challenges while also flagging underutilisation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across states.

Highlighting the role of AI in improving quality of life, Sitharaman said, “We need better cities to live in and therefore I’m very insistent that AI should help us give solutions for improving existing urban areas as well as for new ones we plan. AI is capable of providing in-situ solutions, keeping people where they are while delivering solutions they have been waiting for decades.”

She stressed that AI can offer context-specific innovations, helping reduce migration pressures and enabling localised development.

Turning to skills development, the Finance Minister pointed out that ITIs—longstanding institutions in almost every district—remain underused despite dedicated budgetary support. “Another one of the things we mentioned in the Budget was something all of us in government thought about, and we made a big announcement backed with funds. But unfortunately, not many states have used it. And what is that? The old, decades-old institution called ITIs, which exist in every district of the country,” she said.