1 January 2026 · New Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan · Felicitated by the President of India
President Droupadi Murmu participated in AI for Beginners module and launched the #SkilltheNation challenge at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. She also virtually inaugurated the IGNOU Regional Centre and Skill Centre at Rairangpur, Odisha.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 1, 2026
The President said that in the… pic.twitter.com/baT66lGIwQ
Completing Microsoft's 20-hour "AI to be Aware" course under the Government of India's SOAR initiative felt like I was getting a structured language for questions I had been asking about Artificial Intelligence and its potential use in fighting financial illiteracy.
Applying those modules, I prototyped simple chatbots that translated basic tax concepts into Hinglish—a mix of English and Hindi—testing them on classmates who'd never heard of "TDS" or "Section 80C." The work wasn't about building perfect technology; it was about meeting people where they are, in the language they speak, with concepts that matter to their lives.
Being selected as one of 17 students nationwide to be felicitated by the President of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan made the work feel real in a way that no paper or accolade ever could. Standing alongside Members of Parliament and Union Ministers of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, I heard the President speak about AI's role in India's GDP and employment. Then came the moment—brief, surreal—when I got to briefly talk with her about scams, digital literacy, and the gap between technology and trust. This experience made me view AI as a civic responsibility, not just another useful tool.
Walking out of that ceremony, I realized something fundamental: the same mathematical thinking I apply to TaxCity, the same patient listening I do in conversations with workers and classmates, the same rigor I bring to research—all of it matters when the stakes are real. Millions of households in India are navigating financial decisions in a landscape full of predatory apps and misinformation. If I can build tools that demystify that landscape, even slightly, that becomes urgent work.
After the event, I also had the opportunity to meet Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as well as Minister of State in the Education Department in the Government of India, discussing the role of AI in increasing skill development in the country.
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