AI for Inclusive Societal Development: NITI Aayog’s Roadmap

• 09 Oct 2025

On 08th October 2025, NITI Aayog launched a pioneering national roadmap titled “AI for Inclusive Societal Development,” marking India’s first comprehensive effort to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and frontier technologies to uplift the country’s 490 million informal workers.

• Developed in partnership with Deloitte, the roadmap represents a paradigm shift in India’s AI discourse, focusing on the informal workforce that contributes nearly half of the nation’s GDP.
• The roadmap introduces the proposed Mission Digital ShramSetu, a national mission to make AI accessible, affordable, and impactful for every informal worker by deploying technologies such as AI, blockchain, and immersive learning to bridge gaps in financial inclusion, skill development, and social protection.
• The study warns that if immediate, coordinated interventions are not undertaken, the average annual income of informal workers could stagnate at $6,000 by 2047, far below the $14,500 per capita benchmark required for India to achieve high-income nation status.
• The roadmap underscores the importance of AI-enabled skill development, financial inclusion platforms, and data-driven governance, proposing digital infrastructure reforms that integrate informal workers into national growth frameworks through targeted policy action.