Dharmendra Pradhan addresses Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026, launches Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence.

New Delhi, February 12, 2026: Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday addressed the Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, marking a major step towards integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) across India’s education ecosystem.

Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar was also present on the occasion.

During the conclave, Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence, aimed at accelerating AI-driven innovation in education.

Senior officials, including Secretary, School Education & Literacy Sanjay Kumar; Secretary, Higher Education Dr. Vineet Joshi; Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT S. Krishnan; and Director, IIT Madras Prof. V. Kamakoti, along with academic leaders, researchers, and startup founders, participated in the event.

Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted that Bharat Bodhan will help in ecosystem mapping:

The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 has been envisioned as a national platform for ecosystem mapping, strategic alignment, and partnership-building in AI-enabled education.

A key outcome of the conclave is the initiation of the Bharat EduAI Stack, an open and interoperable architecture designed to build, integrate, and scale AI-powered learning solutions across India.

The conclave focuses on four priority verticals—AI for School Education, Higher Education, Skilling & Workforce Readiness, and AI research & Deep Technology.

Addressing the gathering, Dharmendra Pradhan said the two-day conclave brings together academia, industry, policymakers, startups, innovators, and the skilling ecosystem to integrate AI in education at scale.

He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for making India AI-ready with a strong emphasis on ethical, responsible, and inclusive AI deployment.

The Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan underlined that India’s AI will be inclusive by design, interoperable by Architecture, and sovereign by capability.

Stressing the importance of embedding AI in education to empower students and support teachers, he called upon stakeholders to develop scalable, ethical, and India-centric AI models to realize the vision of Viksit Bharat and ensure AI for All.

Sukanta Majumdar, in his address, emphasized the need for S.A.F.E. AI—empowering, as India moves towards the India-AI Impact Summit 2026.

An exhibition showcasing AI-driven innovations in school education, higher education, and skilling was also inaugurated, enabling interaction between policymakers and innovators.

MoU signed between key partners:

Several key initiatives and partnerships were announced, including: an MoU between IIT Bombay and Columbia University to establish a Centre of AI for Manufacturing, the Launch of the IIM Lucknow AI Program, Institutional collaborations involving IIM Jammu and AIT Bangkok, and IIM Ranchi’s “teaching with AI” initiative.

A special session of Bodhan.ai, the AI Centre of Excellence for Education at IIT Madras, highlighted the need for an open Bharat EduAI Stack. Pratyush Kumar, CEO of Sarvam AI, also shared insights on the future of AI in education.

The conclave featured two technical sessions focusing on School Education & Classroom Solutions and Teacher Capacity Building, Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN), and Systemic Reform, bringing together leading organizations and startups presenting scalable AI-enabled solutions.

The conclave will continue on 13 February 2026, with sessions on Digital Public Infrastructure, AI Platforms, Emerging technologies, Skills, and Higher Education.

Also Read: Dharmendra Pradhan launches a website, Oorja Sangam, for research and academic programs on energy.

EOM.