India, Nov. 2 -- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a handbook on the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) for AI training, outlining a framework to enable institutions to collaborate on datasets while retaining control over their information.

Unveiled by MeitY Secretary S Krishnan at a high-level roundtable in Bengaluru on 31 October 2026, the handbook seeks to address barriers that often prevent organisations from sharing data for artificial intelligence (AI) development, including concerns over privacy, commercial confidentiality, intellectual property and institutional control.

Developed with support from the iSPIRT Foundation, the framework combines contractual permissions, co...