KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 21

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu, in partnership with the AI Association of Nepal, organised an event titled "AI for Inclusive Growth: Building Nepal's AI Ready Future" on Friday. The programme has been recognised as an official pre-Summit event for the AI Impact Summit, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on February 19–20, 2026.

According to the embassy, the event brought together more than 400 participants from startups, government bodies, chambers of commerce and industry, the Robotics Association of Nepal, NAS IT, the Fintech Alliance, academic institutions, think tanks and media. Discussions centred on recent advances in artificial intelligence and the objectives of the upcoming AI Impact Summit.

Minister for Communication and Information Technology and the Chief Guest, Jagdish Kharel, highlighted the Government of Nepal's AI initiatives and the potential for bilateral cooperation in the sector.

Speaking at the plenary session, Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava outlined India's guiding philosophy of "AI for ALL". He said the forthcoming AI Impact Summit aims to shift global discussions toward the real-world impact of AI and its future trajectory. The ambassador also encouraged Nepali youths to actively participate in AI challenges-AI for ALL, AI for HER and YUVAi.

Amitabh Nag, CEO of Digital India Bhashini Division, delivered a keynote presentation demonstrating Bhashini's role in transforming public services in India and its developmental applications. Anirban Sarma, Director of the Digital Societies Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, introduced participants to the Summit's agenda.

A panel discussion on "Leveraging AI for Nepal's Growth", moderated by Suresh Pokharel, Vice President of the AI Association of Nepal, covered AI policy development, robotics initiatives and the potential of AI in building Nepal's digital public infrastructure. Joint Secretary Adesh Khadka, Robotics Association President Bikash Gurung, Vriddhi Sanjal founder Sixit Bhatta, alongside Nag and Sarma, shared insights from Nepal's and India's evolving AI ecosystems.

The event concluded with a workshop on AI tools and architecture conducted by Ram Sharma Bhattarai and Darshan Parajuli of the AI Association of Nepal, featuring industrial case studies of Bhashini's implementation in India. Radhika Aryal, Secretary at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, attended as Special Guest.

Applications for the AI Impact Summit's global challenges and Research Symposium can be submitted online at the official portal.