India, Feb. 16 -- The opening day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 organised under the IndiaAI Mission by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology was meant to demonstrate India's readiness to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) governance and infrastructure. Instead, the Day 1 revealed how quickly ambition can be undercut by operational disorder.

By mid-morning, entry queues had lengthened across gates. Delegates were being redirected between checkpoints. Exhibitors searched for clarity on access permissions. Media representatives struggled to locate workspace. Help desks were crowded, but consistent answers were scarce.

According to sources, the overall registrations for participation crossed 35,000. So, while the eco...