Goa earmarked Rs 250 Cr under an AI policy to train 50,000 AI-ready professionals by 2030, reducing its reliance on tourism.

The money will sit in an innovation fund spread over five years. The AI Policy 2026 itself runs for three years, from 2026 to 2029.

Officials unveiled it at the opening of the Goa AI Tech Conclave in Panaji, a two-day event held on 22 and 23 October.

Goa depends heavily on one sector. IT Minister Rohan Khaunte to sources that tourism makes up about 16.43% of the state’s GDP and 40% to 45% of its jobs.

Mining once added about 17%. He said the Covid years showed that relying on ‘one vertical’ is not enough.

The policy rests on five areas: skills, startups and industry, investment, governance and infrastructure, and safe, ethical AI use.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said AI training will expand beyond an existing programme in Porvorim, with labs planned in educational institutions across more talukas.

The state has also signed three tie-ups: BITS Pilani’s Goa campus will set up an AI Centre of Excellence for research and skill building.

Bengaluru-based Sirena Technologies will bring robotics into the curriculum.

BHASHINI will help build a Konkani language model, so government work can run in the local language. Citizens, students and language experts can add speech and text through its BhashaDaan platform.

Goa cannot offer the large land parcels that bigger states have. So it is pitching research, design and creative work instead of factories. His motto is ‘Build from Goa, scale up from Goa.’

A new state hackathon invites solutions to 100 problems sent in by 35 government departments.

The state also plans an IT Techno Centre in Porvorim, with technology infrastructure, incubation facilities and shared workspaces.

On data centres, Khaunte said Goa could host ‘one or two’ at most, since they create few jobs but use a lot of energy and water.

He said it is too early to estimate the policy’s investment pull or its GDP contribution.

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