Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Launches World Bank Group's World Development Report 2026 on Artificial Intelligence in New Delhi

Key facts

• Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Railways, and Information and Broadcasting Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the World Bank Group's World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence at The Oberoi, New Delhi on 08 October 2026.
• The India launch was organised by the IndiaAI Mission, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the World Bank Group.
• The Report sets out a framework for developing economies to harness AI for development through adoption, adaptation and advancement, noting that only one of the world's 25 low-income countries has published a national AI strategy.
• Dr. Michael Kremer, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank Group, cited India's AI-based monsoon forecasting, which predicted the unusual 2025 monsoon and is now being followed by Ethiopia.
• In Baramati, sugarcane yields rose by 40 per cent with 30 per cent less water and fertiliser, and TB detection in healthcare increased by 35 per cent through AI tools.
• In Gujarat, AgriStack is used by 5 lakh farmers, and an AI animal health initiative benefits 3 crore cattle.
• The IndiaAI Mission is building an AI ecosystem across seven pillars: IndiaAI Compute Capacity, IndiaAI Innovation Centre, IndiaAI Datasets Platform (AIKosh), IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, IndiaAI FutureSkills, IndiaAI Startup Financing, and Safe & Trusted AI.
• The State AI Showcase featured Navachetana (Andhra Pradesh), MahaVISTAAR AI (Maharashtra), EdskGrid (Meghalaya), and Vyuhaa-Cerviai, a cervical cancer screening solution.