Goa Wants Its Own AI Policy, and a Konkani LLM to Go With It

Goa’s IT department held its first formal stakeholder consultation on an AI policy framework on March 5, with Sarvam AI and the IndiaAI Mission among participants. The proposed Goa AI Mission 2027 covers five priority sectors and includes plans for a Konkani-language large language model built in collaboration with Bhashini.

Goa’s Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (DITE&C) convened its first formal stakeholder consultation on an AI governance framework on March 5, bringing together government officials, industry representatives, academic institutions, and national AI bodies to deliberate on what will become the state’s comprehensive AI policy. The meeting was held at Paryatan Bhavan in Panaji and chaired by IT Minister Rohan Khaunte, with participants from Sarvam AI and the IndiaAI Mission joining online.

Minister Khaunte framed the initiative as part of Goa’s ambition to position itself as a forward-looking hub for emerging technologies, emphasising that AI must reach every section of society and not remain confined to urban or technically equipped segments. He referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader vision for the democratization of AI, highlighting that Goa’s policy must balance responsible adoption with an enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Stakeholders identified five priority sectors where AI is expected to most significantly strengthen governance and public service delivery: tourism, agriculture, healthcare, education, and e-governance. Discussions covered building an ecosystem for AI startups, research institutions, skill development, and industry collaboration within the state. Participants highlighted Goa’s existing talent pool, academic infrastructure, and startup community as assets the policy should actively leverage.

One of the most specific outcomes discussed was the development of a Konkani Large Language Model, a dedicated AI language model for Goa’s official language, to be built in collaboration with Bhashini, the national language technology platform under the IndiaAI Mission. The proposal reflects a growing consensus in Indian AI policy circles that AI tools built exclusively in English or Hindi will fail to serve large portions of the population, and that state-level language models are necessary to make AI genuinely inclusive.

Shubham Arora, Founder of Sarvam AI, a full-stack generative AI platform focused on sovereign, India-built models, and Guru Prabhaker, Director of Sales at Sarvam AI, participated in the discussion online, sharing perspectives on indigenous AI capabilities for governance and innovation. Kartik Suri, General Manager of FutureSkills under the IndiaAI Mission, also joined the deliberations remotely, reflecting the national initiative’s interest in supporting state-level AI policy frameworks.

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The DITE&C informed attendees that a draft AI Policy for Goa had already been circulated among stakeholders ahead of the meeting. Further consultations are planned in the coming weeks to refine the framework before it is finalised. The proposed policy is intended to align with the Goa AI Mission 2027, a broader state initiative aimed at promoting innovation, strengthening digital governance, and creating economic opportunities in emerging technologies.

This article is based entirely on the official press note issued by DITE&C, Goa, dated March 5, 2026, provided in full to NervNow. All names, designations, and details are sourced directly from that document.

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