India, Feb. 1 -- When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget, artificial intelligence was not positioned as a startup opportunity or a disruptive frontier. Instead, AI appeared repeatedly as an enabling layer inside governance systems, sectoral platforms, and public service delivery.

Across agriculture, employment, education, customs, accessibility, and administration, the Union Budget 2026 framed AI as part of the Indian state's operating machinery.

"Cutting-edge technologies, including AI applications, can serve as force multipliers for better governance," Sitharaman said.

"Adoption of technology is for the benefit of all people - farmers in the field, women in STEM, youth keen to upskill and...