Bihar Plans to Train 500,000 Youths in AI Under New State Policy

Bihar aims to train five lakh (500,000) youths in artificial intelligence over the next five years under its forthcoming Bihar Artificial Intelligence Policy, 2026. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary set the target on Thursday, October 22, while chairing a review meeting on the draft policy at his official residence in Patna.

The number anchors a broader push to turn one of India's least-industrialised states into what the chief minister called a leading AI hub. "Bihar should march ahead to become a leading state in the field of AI," Choudhary said. "Better opportunities should be developed for AI companies, startups and digital enterprises. This will encourage them to invest and ensure that the state emerges as a major centre of new technology and innovation."

Who is driving the policy?

The review meeting brought together the state's top administration. Chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit, information technology department secretary Abhay Kumar Singh, and chief minister's secretaries Lokesh Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Singh attended.

Abhay Kumar Singh presented the policy's core provisions, which target three levers: attracting investment, skilling youths, and building infrastructure.

Choudhary's instruction to the bureaucracy was direct. He directed officials to "constitute a special team to achieve the targets in a time-bound manner." He framed the policy's purpose plainly: "The objective of the policy is to promote new tech, innovation, skill development and digital entrepreneurship so that the youths of Bihar avail of new opportunities and the state's economy becomes stronger."

The monitoring team marks the state's attempt to bind itself to deadlines rather than announcements.

What does the policy actually contain?

The draft policy, now in its final shape, integrates AI into six sectors:

• Education
• Healthcare
• Agriculture
• Land reforms
• Disaster management
• Administrative services

The stated goal in each sector is improved transparency and efficiency.

On the supply side, the policy provides for AI research centres, data centres and innovation labs. Tech companies setting up in Bihar would receive fast-track approvals and infrastructure support.

The training commitment is the headline number: five lakh youths trained in AI within five years, a workforce pipeline designed to match the industry's future hiring requirements.

Which tech partners has Bihar signed?

The state has moved on partnerships before finalising the policy itself.

Bihar is working with IIT Patna to establish an advanced IT and AI research centre plus a deeptech startup laboratory.

It has also signed non-financial Memorandums of Understanding with four major tech players:

• Google
• Microsoft
• CoRover's BharatGPT
• Sarvam AI

The MoUs cover capacity building and AI skills training for officials, teachers and youths. Their non-financial structure means the deals commit expertise and training, not capital — a signal that investment dollars will depend on how the policy's incentives land.

What happens next?

One further decision came out of the review meeting: Bihar will organise a large AI conference every year for the next five years. The event will bring experts, companies, startups and students onto a single platform.

The sequencing is deliberate. Finalise the policy, stand up a monitoring team, train the workforce, and court the industry annually — that is the state's five-year runway.

Whether Bihar converts a training target into an investment destination will hinge on the speed of the fast-track approvals and the depth of the partnerships it has just signed.