A Comprehensive Collection of Essays Examining India’s Preparedness for the Responsible Deployment of Artificial Intelligence Across Key Sectors
New Delhi | 25th February 2026: Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. (SAM), has announced the publication of a book titled “Bharat for AI: Enabling Frameworks for Trust”. The publication brings together a comprehensive collection of essays examining India’s preparedness for the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence across key sectors, including education, defence, governance, women empowerment, and agriculture.
The book identifies significant regulatory and institutional gaps and proposes actionable frameworks aimed at ensuring that AI systems operating in India are safe, reliable, and trustworthy. It positions trust as a foundational requirement for the sustainable adoption of AI at scale.
“Bharat for AI: Enabling Frameworks for Trust” represents a substantive contribution to the evolving policy discourse on AI governance in India. The publication underscores the urgent need for coordinated action across government, industry, and civil society to ensure that AI systems deployed in India serve the public interest while continuing to foster innovation and economic growth.
Key Takeaways:
The publication advances sector-specific recommendations to strengthen trust in AI-systems:
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Establishing Reliability Standards in Education (EdAI): AI applications in education present unique risks, including cognitive offloading and error opacity. To mitigate these risks, the publication proposes that the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) establish a baseline definition of reliability to ensure pedagogical alignment and robust cyber-resilience.
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Fortifying Defence AI Benchmarking: Existing frameworks in defence largely focus on cybersecurity, often overlooking broader resilience considerations. The publication notes that without rigorous trust and safety benchmarking, the integration of AI into national defence risks becoming a faith-based enterprise rather than a data-driven security capability.
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Advancing Parliamentary Oversight: To address the currently fragmented approach to AI governance, the publication advocates the creation of a multipartisan Joint Parliamentary Committee on AI. Such a body would bridge administrative action and legislative oversight, including the assessment of risks such as algorithmic bias and deepfakes.
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Architecting Agricultural Data Interoperability: Data fragmentation continues to constrain the AgTech ecosystem. The publication calls for a National Framework for Agricultural Data Interoperability, to be jointly developed by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, enabling seamless technical and legal integration of agricultural data.
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Implementing Gender-Responsive AI Upskilling: Acknowledging that gender-neutral skilling initiatives often fail to address structural barriers, the publication proposes a Gender Responsive AI Competency Framework. This national baseline aims to dismantle entry and progression barriers for women in technology, led by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Leadership Perspective:
Commenting on the publication, Dr Shardul S. Shroff, Executive Chairman, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., said: “As India advances its AI ambitions, trust must remain central to both policy and deployment. This publication seeks to highlight, practical, sector-specific frameworks that can help align innovation with public confidence, institutional accountability, and long-term national interest.”
Pallavi Shroff, Managing Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., said: “India’s AI journey must be anchored in frameworks that are not only innovative but also inclusive and accountable. By foregrounding trust, governance, and institutional readiness, this publication aims to contribute meaningfully to policy conversations that will shape how AI impacts society, markets, and democratic institutions.”
Akshay Chudasama, Managing Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., said: “As AI systems increasingly influence critical decision-making across sectors, the question is no longer whether to regulate, but how to enable innovation responsibly. This publication seeks to move the discourse beyond abstraction by offering pragmatic, India-specific frameworks that balance technological advancement with legal certainty and public trust.”