(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Oct 9 (KNN) NITI Aayog released a study titled 'AI for Inclusive Societal Development', a first-of-its-kind initiative that systematically explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and frontier technologies can be leveraged to improve the lives and livelihoods of India's 490 million informal workers.

“If we are serious about transforming the lives of India's 490 million informal workers, collaboration is not optional-it is non-negotiable. Only through cross-sectoral action-from affordable R&D and innovation to large-scale skilling and reskilling-can we achieve real, lasting empowerment,” stated B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog.

Developed in partnership with Deloitte, the study marks a shift in focus from the global discourse on AI's impact on formal and white-collar sectors to India's informal workforce, which contributes nearly half of the national GDP but remains largely excluded from formal systems of protection, productivity, and opportunity.

The report cautions that technology alone cannot dismantle entrenched systemic barriers and that AI's potential will remain unrealised without deliberate human intervention, targeted investments, and an enabling ecosystem.

To address these challenges, NITI Aayog has proposed Mission Digital ShramSetu, a national mission to build a roadmap and ecosystem that makes AI accessible, affordable, and impactful for every informal worker.

The mission envisions harnessing AI, blockchain, immersive learning, and other frontier technologies to tackle issues such as financial insecurity, limited market access, lack of skilling, and inadequate social protection-thereby empowering workers to enhance their productivity, resilience, and dignity of work.

The proposed mission emphasises that inclusion requires intent, collaboration, and coordinated action across government, industry, academia, and civil society.

The report warns that at the current growth trajectory, informal workers' average annual income could stagnate at USD 6,000 by 2047, far below the USD 14,500 threshold needed for India to achieve high-income status. Immediate collective action, it notes, is critical to sustaining equitable growth and realising the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

(KNN Bureau)

MENAFN09102025000155011030ID1110174710