Page 25 - NIS English 16-31 March, 2026

COVER STORY
Support for AI- Youth Power and AI...
Based Startups The Education and Training Ecosystem

n More than 100 startups More than 65% of India’s population is under the age of 35. These
related to artificial youth are also at the center of India’s digital and innovation strategy.
intelligence have been India considers AI an essential tool for enhancing youth employability
recognized in the country. and skills. To this end, the Indian government is working with school
education, vocational training, higher education, research fellowships,
n The India AI Startup and industry to create a large AI talent pipeline to accelerate AI
Global Program has been education and skills...
launched with Station F
and HEC Paris to help 10 AI Skills and New Opportunities
Indian AI startups expand n According to the World Bank report, jobs requiring digital skills
in Europe. Bank's South Asia offer an average salary premium of 12%,
n These startups, working in Development Report, India while AI-focused jobs offer a premium
areas such as responsible AI has the highest number of of up to 28%.
and AI in cybersecurity, are AI-related job opportunities n Between January 2023 and March
currently receiving training in South Asia. 5.8% of 2025, AI-related job postings in South
at Station F. white-collar job listings in
2025 required AI expertise, Asia increased from 2.9% to 6.5% of
n Some of the startups with Bengaluru (11% share all positions. Demand for AI skills has
undergoing training are of AI jobs) and Hyderabad grown 75% faster than non-AI roles.
Privacy Enhancing AI and (9.57%), followed by Pune n The Stanford AI Index Report 2025
Secure Blink, focused on (6.95%) and Chennai (6.62%) shows that India leads the world in AI
AI-powered cybersecurity, in Maharashtra. talent acquisition, with an annual hiring
surveillance, earth rate of approximately 33%.
observation using AI, and n AI-related jobs are also Furthermore, the penetration
AI for industrial inspection. experiencing high
salary increases. of AI skills is 2.5 times
According to higher than the global average
a World in similar occupations.

Every few centuries, a turning
point occurs in human
history, and that turning
point resets the direction
of civilization. From there,
the pace of development
or artificial intelligence, India is making unprece- changes, and paradigms of
dented investments in every technology that will thinking, understanding, and
shape humanity’s future. working change
As a result of this thinking, artificial intelligence
has become a central pillar of India’s development
journey. It is strengthening good governance, im- Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
proving the delivery of public services, and enabling
solutions that can reach a wider audience. Human

March 16-31, 2026 || NEW INDIA SAMACHAR 23