New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is opening the door to high-end artificial intelligence talent, with specialist roles being offered at rates of up to Rs 4.58 lakh a month, or nearly Rs 55 lakh a year.
The move comes as the Centre steps up efforts to build artificial intelligence capabilities within government systems and strengthen digital public infrastructure. The rates are part of a panel of supplier agencies being created by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD).
Modi government looks to bring AI expertise into public services
The government wants the AI specialists to do more than provide advice. They will be involved in developing systems that can be used across government departments and digital platforms.
NeGD plans to establish an in-house, multi-tenant AI inference server using government-owned infrastructure, including the National Informatics Centre’s MeghRaj cloud. The system will allow freely available AI models to be operated within government infrastructure and accessed by different government projects through stable APIs.
AI to assist with documents and citizen services
The planned systems include AI tools capable of summarising lengthy government documents such as Cabinet notes, tender summaries and policy abstracts.
AI-powered chatbots are also proposed for platforms including UMANG and DigiLocker. These systems are expected to answer citizens’ queries in English as well as various Indian regional languages.
The tender also seeks technology that would allow citizens and field workers to fill government forms using voice commands and navigate official websites through spoken Indian languages.
Facial verification and DigiLocker assistants planned
The AI specialists will also develop systems capable of extracting information from certificates, identity documents, forms and scanned PDFs.
Facial verification tools are planned for applications including attendance, eKYC and digital onboarding.
Another proposed application is an AI assistant for DigiLocker that could fetch and verify documents on a user’s behalf. Human approval would remain necessary for actions that cannot be reversed.
Why the government is offering such high rates
The maximum monthly rate of Rs 4.58 lakh is notably higher than the basic pay of even the country’s senior-most civil servants. A Secretary to the Government of India receives basic pay of Rs 2.25 lakh a month, while the Cabinet Secretary receives Rs 2.50 lakh under the 7th Pay Commission.
However, the comparison is not directly like-for-like. The AI rate is paid to a supplier agency and includes its overheads and margin, in addition to the specialist’s compensation.
The figures nevertheless underline the premium the Modi government is prepared to pay to secure specialised AI expertise.
Startups get easier entry into government AI work
The reopened tender has also relaxed several eligibility requirements for companies seeking to supply AI professionals.
The minimum average annual turnover has been reduced from Rs 50 crore to Rs 25 crore, while the minimum staff requirement has fallen from 200 to 100 employees. The minimum value of a qualifying previous project has also been reduced from Rs 3 crore to Rs 1 crore.
Startups and MSMEs recognised by DPIIT or NSIC are exempted from the turnover and employee requirements. However, the technical qualification threshold has been increased from 70 to 75 out of 100.
The initiative signals the Centre’s determination to attract specialised AI talent and develop technology that can strengthen India’s digital governance ecosystem under the Modi government.