Mumbai, Jan 1: Maharashtra’s Information and Technology Minister Ashish Shelar has announced that the state government will soon come out with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy to shape the future of industries, businesses and governance and recognise its transformative potential.

He has directed the department to draft the AI policy.

Minister Shelar instructed the department that the era of AI technology has begun and Maharashtra must seize the opportunity to become a leader in this space.

“By leveraging AI, we can attract more industries and businesses, create employment opportunities for the youth and position Maharashtra as a formidable player,” said the Minister during his meeting with the department officers.

“The India AI Mission, launched in March this year with an allocation of Rs 10,372 crore focuses on advancing AI capabilities across the nation with special allocations for the India AI Datasets Platform, Application Development initiatives, Graphic Processing Units, India AI Innovation Centre, Future Skills Programme and financing startups in the AI space. It is important to align Maharashtra’s AI aspirations with these national efforts so that the state emerges as a leader in the AI revolution,” said Shelar.

According to the Minister, the Central government plans to start the collection and aggregation of non-personal datasets to build a comprehensive database that will power the India AI Datasets Platform from January 2025. This will enable seamless access to startups, companies, academics and researchers to develop applications, interface with language models and offer specialized services.

“It is important that Maharashtra works towards positioning itself at the forefront of India’s technological advancement while contributing to the nation’s vision of becoming a global AI leader,” said Shelar.

Minister Shelar’s statement comes after the state body MITRA, which has been established on the lines of NITI Aayog, has recently recommended the development of sovereign AI with the establishment of a joint government and private sector company with 49 per cent – 51 per cent equity holding through a competitive selection process involving credible IT companies. IT firms specialising in AI, machine learning (ML) and Quantum Computing will have free access to large, high-quality, machine-reachable public datasets for the first two years. It has emphasised the need for establishing an Investment Fund to finance AI and Quantum Computing startups.

Mumbai: In a shocking news that has come to light on Wednesday, January 1 2025, Sanjay Raut was assaulted by Shiv Sena UBT workers at Matoshree, Uddhav Thackeray’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra. The Sena UBT MP was not only attacked but also locked in a room by enraged party workers, as per reports. It is also alleged that the altercation occurred in front of Uddhav Thackeray during a recent party meeting.

What Exactly Happened At Matoshree?

The whole drama unfolded during a meeting recently held by the Sena UBT chief to assess his party’s position in Mumbai, where civic polls are likely to be held in a few months. According to a report, Raut was involved in a heated verbal spat with party workers which later turned into a nightmare for him.

During the meeting, some UBT workers alleged that the party has suffered a lot in recent times due to Raut’s remarks and his stance. The Sena UBT MP got irked over the allegations and ignited a heated exchange. The verbal spat then turned into a fight as enraged Sena UBT workers charged against Raut and assaulted him. He was also reportedly locked in a room for several hours.

Social media is flooded with numerous reports claiming that Sanjay Raut was badly thrashed by his own party workers and later held captive in a room. However, neither Sanjay Raut nor Uddhav Thackeray or any other senior leader from the party has come forward and commented on the reports.

Sena UBT Likely To Contest BMC Polls Alone

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey recently hinted at the possibility of the party contesting the upcoming Mumbai local body elections independently, without forming an alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

Speaking to Media on December 30, Dubey revealed that Shiv Sainiks from across Maharashtra are urging the party leadership to go solo in the elections. He emphasized the advantages of such a move, stating, “Contesting alone boosts the enthusiasm of our workers and allows more candidates to participate in the electoral process.”

While Dubey highlighted the growing demand from the grassroots level for an independent contest, he clarified that the ultimate decision rests with the party high command.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the ‘mini-Pakistan’ remark made by Nitesh Rane, BJP’s minister in Maharashtra. On Monday (December 30), Vijayan said the remarks were “deeply provocative and deplorable”.

The Kerala CM said that Rane’s comments reflected mentality of ‘Sangh Parivar” towards the state.

Nitesh Rane said earlier that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were elected to parliament from Kerala because the state was ‘mini-Pakistan’.

He said that wherever Sangh Parivar faces difficulty in gaining influence, it uses hate campaigns and divisive narratives to obtain.

“The statement by Maharashtra BJP Minister Nitesh Rane, labelling Kerala as “Mini Pakistan,” is deeply provocative and deplorable. It reflects the fundamental approach of the Sangh Parivar towards Kerala. The Sangh Parivar believes they can marginalise and isolate regions where they struggle to establish influence through hate campaigns and divisive narratives. Rane’s statement is a direct example of this strategy,” the statement read.

Vijayan further slammed central government for not addressing the issue of Rane’s provocative comment. He said that remarks were violation of constitutional norms and oath of office a minister takes.

“A minister who makes such hate-filled remarks is unfit to hold office. It is astonishing that the leadership of the ruling party at the centre has chosen not to react to this blatant violation of constitutional values and the minister’s oath of office,” he added.