Technology industry body Nasscom has launched a national initiative aimed at training 150,000 developers to use artificial intelligence tools across the software development lifecycle, as companies increasingly integrate AI into core engineering workflows.
The programme, called AI Code Sarathi, is designed to help developers transition from experimentation with AI tools to building production-ready applications. The initiative will bring together developers from corporate technology teams, start-ups and academic institutions as the industry seeks to close capability gaps emerging from the rapid adoption of AI in software development.
“AI Code Sarathi is not just a skilling initiative; it is a national mission to help India move from AI exploration to AI execution at scale,” Ankit Bose, head of AI at Nasscom, said.
Three Phase implementation
The programme is structured around three phases — Explore, Engineer and Excel — and will run through the first half of the year. The opening phase, scheduled for March and April, will introduce developers to AI-assisted coding workflows through a four-hour workshop conducted both online and in person.
Participants will work with code-completion tools and industry problem statements alongside experts. The second phase, running from April to June, will focus on deeper technical capability building through guided learning and mentorship.
The initiative will culminate in a national Agentic AI Hackathon, where participants will build solutions addressing real-world problems involving autonomous workflows and intelligent agents. Winners of the hackathon will receive prize money of `10 lakh.
The programme also aims to create a portfolio of real-world AI applications developed by participants. Successful developers will receive blockchain-backed certificates and publish their code on GitHub, with top innovations expected to be showcased at AI Confluence in July 2026.
The initiative aligns with the government’s IndiaAI Mission, which aims to strengthen the country’s AI talent pool and accelerate the adoption of AI technologies across industries.