India AI Governance Guidelines, 2025
Context
Released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on November 5, 2025.
Marks a revised and final version of the earlier draft “India AI Framework” circulated in January 2025.
Advocates a “hands-off” approach — promoting innovation and flexibility instead of strict regulation.
Aims to make India a global leader in ethical, inclusive, and responsible AI governance.
Background
India’s approach balances AI innovation with ethical safeguards, avoiding over-regulation that could stifle growth.
Developed by a committee formed in July 2025, headed by Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, Head of Data Science & AI, IIT Madras.
The guidelines are meant to serve as a foundational framework before any future law is drafted.
Core Approach
“Hands-off regulation” – focus on guidelines, voluntary adoption, and sectoral flexibility.
Encourages self-governance, industry accountability, and public participation.
No dedicated AI legislation yet — government will consider a law only if urgent risks emerge.
Seven Guiding Principles of AI Governance
Trust – Build public confidence in AI technologies and their outcomes.
People-Centricity – AI should enhance human welfare and social inclusion.
Responsible Innovation – Encourage innovation while preventing harm or misuse.
Equity – Ensure fair access and prevent bias or discrimination in AI systems.
Accountability – Define responsibility across developers, deployers, and users.
Understandability (Explainability) – Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI systems must be transparent and interpretable.
Safety, Resilience, and Sustainability – AI should be robust, secure, and environmentally sustainable.
Six Key Recommendations
Expand AI Infrastructure
Increase access to computational resources, data sets, and open AI platforms.
Leverage India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — Aadhaar, UPI, ONDC — for scalable and inclusive AI.
Capacity Building and Skilling
Launch AI education, upskilling, and reskilling programs.
Encourage AI literacy in governance, academia, and industry.
Balanced, Agile, and Flexible Regulation
Avoid heavy-handed regulation; prefer light-touch and adaptive frameworks.
Allow sector-specific innovation sandboxes for AI experimentation.
Risk Mitigation – India-Specific Context
Focus on local challenges like linguistic diversity, digital divide, and biased datasets.
Promote contextual AI ethics suited to India’s socio-economic realities.
Transparency and Accountability
Increase traceability and disclosure of how AI systems are designed, trained, and deployed.
Mandate clear responsibility chains in the AI value chain.
Public Awareness and Inclusivity
Ensure AI benefits reach marginalized and rural populations.
Encourage public dialogue on ethics and AI adoption.
Regulatory Outlook
No standalone AI Law yet — MeitY clarified that regulation will evolve gradually.
AI-specific laws may be introduced in future depending on emerging risks and technologies.
Current framework focuses on governance-by-guidelines, not governance-by-restriction.
India’s AI Governance Vision
Promote “AI for India” → solutions addressing local challenges (agriculture, health, education, language AI).
Position India as a global voice for responsible AI governance.
Complement India’s National Strategy for AI (NITI Aayog, 2018) and IndiaAI Mission (2023).
Comparison: India’s AI Approach vs Global Models
Model | Approach | Key Feature |
EU AI Act | Highly regulated | Risk-based classification (strict compliance) |
USA | Industry-led, innovation-first | Self-regulation, voluntary standards |
China | State-controlled | Strong algorithmic oversight |
India (2025) | “Hands-off, governance-oriented” | Flexible, inclusive, ethics-based |
Prelims Practice MCQs
Q.With reference to the India AI Governance Guidelines (2025), consider the following statements:
The guidelines adopt a “hands-off” regulatory approach to promote innovation.
They introduce a mandatory AI regulation law applicable to all sectors.
The framework emphasizes explainability and transparency in large language models (LLMs).
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
✅ Answer: A. 1 and 3 only
Explanation:
The framework is non-binding (no law yet) and promotes responsible AI with transparency and explainability.
Q. Who chaired the committee that drafted the India AI Governance Guidelines (2025)?
A. Abhishek Singh
B. S. Krishnan
C. Balaraman Ravindran
D. Rajeev Chandrasekhar
✅ Answer: C. Balaraman Ravindran
Explanation:
Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, Head of Data Science & AI at IIT Madras, chaired the drafting committee.
Q. The term “hands-off approach” in India’s AI governance context refers to:
A. Restricting all private AI development until laws are framed.
B. Encouraging self-regulation and flexible governance rather than heavy regulation.
C. Prohibiting AI research in sensitive areas.
D. Limiting AI use to public sector projects only.
✅ Answer: B.
Explanation:
The guidelines follow a light-touch, self-regulatory approach, allowing innovation while promoting accountability.