The Pune Chapter of the Hindu Economic Forum (HEF) concluded its flagship SHAKTI Summit 2026 with a strong focus on advancing India’s long-term economic and strategic priorities. Held at the Pune International Centre, the summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and technology experts to accelerate initiatives aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The event served as a platform for discussions across key sectors including artificial intelligence, defence and aerospace, infrastructure, technology, knowledge and media, startups and the temple economy. A central theme throughout the summit was strengthening India’s self-reliance through indigenous innovation, domestic capital formation and strategic industry development.
Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma attended the event as Chief Guest and highlighted the importance of stronger collaboration between government institutions, industry stakeholders, investors and academic organizations to build globally competitive capabilities in sectors critical to India’s future.
One of the summit’s major announcements was the unveiling of the Pune AI Vision, a roadmap aimed at positioning Pune as a leading centre for applied artificial intelligence. Presented by Partex.AI, the initiative outlines a phased investment strategy beginning with a $50 million foundation programme that includes distributed GPU infrastructure and an AI model development ecosystem. The vision ultimately seeks to scale into a $500 million platform focused on training more than 100,000 professionals and creating AI-driven solutions for sectors such as defence, healthcare and advanced manufacturing.
Industry leaders emphasized Pune’s unique advantages, including its strong engineering talent base, manufacturing ecosystem and research capabilities. The initiative aims to combine these strengths to create globally competitive technologies while supporting national priorities related to digital transformation and industrial modernization.
The summit also featured the first public display of ISACA, an indigenous autonomous surface vessel developed by Accurate Industrial Controls. The system incorporates artificial intelligence, sensor fusion technologies and advanced collision-avoidance capabilities and has undergone evaluations associated with maritime defence applications.
Strategic panel discussions explored opportunities in critical sectors including rare earths, defence manufacturing, aerospace, infrastructure and emerging technologies. To ensure continuity beyond the event, HEF Pune announced the formation of a dedicated Defence Working Group that will focus on translating strategic discussions into actionable initiatives and industry collaborations.
The SHAKTI Summit 2026 highlighted the growing convergence of technology, capital and industrial capability in India. By fostering collaboration between innovators, investors and policymakers, the event reinforced Pune’s role as an emerging centre for strategic industries while contributing to the broader national objective of strengthening economic resilience and technological leadership.
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