Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Wednesday launched its indigenous “Maha AI” model and a slew of digital governance initiatives, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying the state has taken a significant step towards building a knowledge-driven and data-based administration.
The move is aimed at delivering faster and more transparent services to citizens, he said.
The CM inaugurated the Maha AI platform, MahaDBT 2.0, digital life certificate system and standardisation of ‘Aaple Sarkar’ service centres at the Vidhan Bhavan here.
“The state has taken an important step towards building knowledge-based and data-driven governance through its own AI model. These initiatives will ensure that government services become faster, simpler and more transparent for citizens,” Fadnavis said.
The integrated data pool created under the ‘MahaSarathi’ initiative would help not only in delivering welfare schemes efficiently but also in designing, planning and implementing future programmes in a targeted manner. The system would help eliminate duplication of beneficiaries, identify misuse and ensure that eligible citizens receive benefits without hurdles, he added.
Fadnavis said citizens applying for various schemes would now have to provide less information as data available with the government would be automatically populated in applications. With the increasing use of agentic AI in future, the process would become even more seamless and quicker, he said.
Calling MahaDBT 2.0 a major reform, the chief minister said all departments have been directed to migrate their schemes to the unified platform within a stipulated period, failing which schemes on older systems would be discontinued.
He said the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism had already brought transparency in scholarship disbursal and curbed irregularities, and a wider rollout across schemes would ensure benefits reach intended beneficiaries directly.
Fadnavis described the state’s network of over 31,000 Aaple Sarkar service centres as the face of governance for citizens and said their standardisation and a new incentive-based ranking system would improve service quality.
He said the digital life certificate facility would provide relief to pensioners and beneficiaries by enabling them to submit proof of life from home, reducing the need for repeated visits to government offices.
Highlighting the significance of the Maha AI platform developed jointly by the state government and the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Fadnavis said data had become the “new gold and new oil” and it was essential for the government to utilise its own data through an indigenous AI model.
“The AI system trained on the government’s own data will help protect against future cyber and information-related threats, improve administrative efficiency, accelerate decision-making and enable faster delivery of services,” he said.
According to the government statement, MahaDBT 2.0 has reduced the number of data fields in applications to 66 from 138 and offers Aadhaar-based verification and faster benefit disbursal.
The official release said Maharashtra’s “Maha AI” is the country’s first state-level initiative aimed at creating an AI-enabled hub for improving governance and citizen-centric services. PTI MR NP
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.