Maharashtra Announces AI Policy 2026, Commits ₹10,000 Crore

The Maharashtra cabinet approved the Artificial Intelligence Policy 2026 on April 29, 2026, targeting Rs 10,000 crore in investment to establish 6 AI Excellence Centres and 5 AI Innovation Cities, according to Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu BusinessLine, and Moneycontrol. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "The very essence of this policy is for Maharashtra to establish itself as a 'Reference State' for the 'India AI Mission' in the development of ethical Artificial Intelligence," and described the goal of positioning the state as a "National Centre for Ethical and Inclusive Artificial Intelligence Development." Per Deccan Chronicle, the CM also said the state plans to provide AI skills training to 2 lakh youth and professionals under the Maharashtra AI Mission. The policy is projected to create 1.5 lakh jobs and support 5,000 AI-adopting startups and MSMEs, building on a state digital economy Deccan Chronicle reports is valued at Rs 6 lakh crore.

Per Deccan Chronicle, the state plans to provide 2,000 GPUs to build computing infrastructure for the policy, alongside development of 50 AI tools and use-cases to increase adoption across industries, and a centralized 'Maha AI Tools Hub' platform. An AI Startup Venture Fund of Rs 500 crore is planned, split evenly between government and private contributions, with individual startup grants of up to Rs 1 crore (up to Rs 2.5 crore plus 25% additional aid for women-led startups), aimed at producing at least one AI unicorn headquartered in the state.

State-level investment at this scale places Maharashtra among the more active subnational players globally pursuing AI industrial policy, alongside national programs such as India's own AI Mission that the state policy is explicitly modeled on. Industry incentives disclosed by Deccan Chronicle include a capital subsidy of up to 20% on fixed capital investment, a full waiver on stamp duty, an electricity tariff subsidy of Rs 2 per unit for up to 10 years, and reimbursement of patent and certification costs, which could meaningfully lower costs for AI hardware and manufacturing firms that relocate or expand operations in the state.

Watch for published governance structures, application processes, and disbursement timelines for the GPU allocation, venture fund, and MSME subsidies, since these details determine whether the announced numbers translate into accessible compute, funding, and contract opportunities. Applied-ML teams and startups working in healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing, the sectors the policy names as priorities, are the most likely near-term beneficiaries if implementation follows the announced structure.

• •Rollout of the 6 AI Excellence Centres and 5 AI Innovation Cities, including locations and initial partners.
• •Application and disbursement mechanics for the Rs 500 crore venture fund and per-startup grants.
• •Allocation and access rules for the promised 2,000 GPUs.
• •Progress on the promised ethical AI framework and whether it becomes a template other Indian states or the central government adopt.