National conference on AI for empowering persons with disabilities held in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of accessibility and inclusive development, a message that stood central at the National Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Persons with Disabilities, held today in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The landmark event brought together an impressive array of government officials, academicians, technologists, and accessibility advocates to explore how AI is enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities.
Delivering the special address at the conference, Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary of the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, described the emergence of AI as the dawn of "a new era of inclusion."
His keynote highlighted transformative advances in Deep Learning, Robotics, and Computer Vision, underlining their enormous potential to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As part of his address, Aggarwal also launched four key initiatives aimed at integrating AI into the accessibility ecosystem:
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Mission AI Accessibility
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Mission AI: Implementation of AI in Assistive Technologies and Tools for Empowering People with Disabilities
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National Disability Support AI Chatbot
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United Benefits Interface (UBI)
These initiatives seek to establish inclusive digital infrastructures and offer scalable AI-driven solutions in assistive technologies, marking a significant step towards digital inclusion.
The conference was jointly organized by the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) and the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), a Mini Ratna Central Public Sector Enterprise operating under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Praveen Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director of ALIMCO, reaffirmed the organization's commitment to advancing innovation in assistive technology and promoting inclusive design practices.
He emphasized that AI can serve as a force multiplier in building a more accessible India and praised the multi-sector collaboration the event fostered.
The event drew participation from several leading voices across academia, industry, and government, including:
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Venu Govindaraju, Distinguished Professor, Department of Computer Science, University at Buffalo, USA (via video conference)
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P.V.M. Rao and Rohan Paul, Professors at IIT Delhi
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Buddha Chandrashekhar, CEO, Anuvadhini
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Pragya Misra, Partnerships Lead, OpenAI – India
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Aalekh Sharan, Head, Enterprise AI & Strategy, Sarvam AI
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Manu Chopra, CEO, Karya Inc.
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Sandeep Alur, CTO, Microsoft Innovation Hub, India
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Chandrika Jain, Director of Marketing, Lenovo
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Shekhar Naik, Padma Shri awardee and Inclusion Advocate, IIM Bangalore
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Arshad Sayyad, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, StackGen
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Ananthalakshmi Venkitaraman, CEO, EquiBeing Foundation
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Prateek Madhav, Co-Founder and CEO, AssisTech Foundation (ATF)
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Amit Prakash, Professor and Head, Department of Human-Centered Computing, IIIT Bengaluru
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Amrita Kamat, Representative, Google India
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Ekroop Caur, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, BT, and S&T, Government of Karnataka
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Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Director General, National Informatics Centre (NIC), New Delhi
The conference spotlighted how cross-disciplinary collaboration can harness AI to empower millions of persons with disabilities.
A National Conference on Artificial Intelligence For Empowering Persons with Disabilities was held today at Hotel The Lalit, Bengaluru. The conference was jointly organized by the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD),
— PIB in Karnataka (@PIBBengaluru) May 30, 2025
1/3 pic.twitter.com/TIsfwGlvla
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Oppn, X users flag concerns over US envoy Sergio Gor’s visit to Army’s western command
New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.
On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”
Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”
Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings.
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 16, 2026
Didn't they say then "Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?"
Compared to that, this is very small. pic.twitter.com/gNNuAGQBPC
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”
She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”
Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that. India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to… pic.twitter.com/rYMq5NhJHA
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) February 16, 2026
The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.
Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”
“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.
Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.
One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”
Why an ambassador visiting our army places ? To talk to chandigarh lobby for f-35 ??
— Rohan Sagar (@RohanSagar03) February 16, 2026
“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.
“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.
The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?
— Aditya Pratap Singh (@Adi_IIMCIAN) February 16, 2026
On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.
In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”
On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.
The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.
