New Delhi, Feb 11: Independent Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal urged the government to articulate its vision for artificial intelligence, particularly regarding its potential impact on employment in India. He criticized the absence of a comprehensive outlook in Union Budget 2025-26 concerning the future.
During the Budget discussion, Sibal inquired about the government’s readiness to face external pressures stemming from US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
“Technological innovations such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek are revolutionizing industries globally. Where do we stand? What preparations are in place to navigate these challenges?” he emphasized.
Sibal pointed out that while there are substantial advantages to integrating AI into our systems, it could also result in job losses. “If we implement AI technologies without caution, we may sacrifice existing jobs in the process. However, we cannot ignore AI if we want to be competitive globally,” he argued. He posed the question, “What is the government’s strategy for AI development?”
He noted that the finance minister only mentioned establishing 100 AI centers without adequately addressing the capabilities of artificial intelligence and its implications. Referring to the Economic Survey, Sibal commented that AI’s effectiveness is limited to specific sectors and may not be deployable in rural areas.
He also pointed out external challenges like the tariffs on steel announced by Trump, voicing concerns over the potential impact of similar tariffs on India’s software exports. “A hypothetical 5-10% tariff on our software could render our industry non-competitive. These are the critical issues I expected the finance minister to address during the Budget presentation,” he stated.
Sibal expressed disappointment over the lack of a clear vision in the Budget, highlighting that the public rightfully expects a government to outline its plans for the coming five years, especially one that has already held power for a decade. “Given that we are now at the eighth Budget presentation, we hoped for a clearer vision of future intentions,” he remarked.
He emphasized that significant challenges confronting India include providing quality education and health to children, stating that educated and healthy children are essential to realizing the “Viksit Bharat” goal.
Criticizing the government’s regulatory approach, Sibal referred to the Economic Advisor’s suggestions in the Economic Survey, which called for deregulation, remarking, “Where’s the rollback in this Budget?” He also noted that the Economic Advisor advocated for a legal presumption of innocence, contrasting it with the prevailing notion of guilt until proven innocent, which he described as detrimental to the country’s business climate.
Sanjay Yadav from RJD criticized the Budget as a mere facade lacking a blueprint for economic advancement, claiming it fails to address the needs of youth, farmers, the unemployed, and students. Meda Raghunadha Reddy from YSRCP raised concerns about shifting the tax burden from corporations to individuals, advocating for a reduction in the individual income tax rate from 30% to 23%, while highlighting the disparity between soaring corporate profits and stagnant wage growth. (PTI)
