01.What IIT Kharagpur has launched
On 12 October 2026, IIT Kharagpur launched two free learning initiatives for students: an AI-powered learning assistant called the NDLI-FERMI Learning Enabled AI Tutor, and a free online preparation platform for the GATE and JAM examinations. Both were formally launched by Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar at the IIT Kharagpur Research Park in Rajarhat, Kolkata, as part of the institute's platinum jubilee celebrations.
The AI tutor was developed with Fermi AI, a firm co-founded by IIT Kharagpur alumnus Peeyush Ranjan, and has been integrated into the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), a Ministry of Education-supported digital learning platform. According to the government, NDLI already serves more than one crore learners and hosts over 130 million learning resources.
02.How the AI tutor works
Unlike many AI tools that simply hand over the answer, the NDLI-FERMI tutor uses a guided approach based on the Socratic method. It leads a student towards the solution through questions, hints and explanations, so the learner can spot where their reasoning went wrong and understand the steps in between.
Its main feature is called Scan and Ask. A student photographs or uploads a question, a problem or an attempted solution and receives interactive help. The feature currently supports four subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. A beta version was made available to registered NDLI users on 30 September, ahead of the formal national launch on 12 October.
03.A free push for GATE and JAM preparation
Alongside the tutor, IIT Kharagpur introduced a separate free online preparatory platform for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and the Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM). GATE scores are used for admission to several postgraduate programmes and can also be considered by public sector undertakings for recruitment, while JAM is used for admission to postgraduate science programmes at participating institutions, including IITs.
Preparation for these exams usually means reference books, online courses, mock tests and private coaching. The new platform is meant to be a free alternative built on IIT Kharagpur's academic expertise and digital resources, aimed especially at students from rural, non-metropolitan and lower-income backgrounds. The 12 October government release did not specify the full subject list, the number of mock tests or the registration process, so those details are still to come.
04.What it means for Indian students
The immediate gain for students is a free doubt-solving and guided-practice tool available through a platform most of them can already reach. Because it sits inside NDLI, users do not need to download a separate app or create a new account. They can register or log in at ndl.gov.in and open the tutor there.
The timing also matters. Generative AI in education is widely debated, with concerns that students may use tools to finish assignments without understanding the subject. IIT Kharagpur professor Plaban Kumar Bhowmick, principal investigator of NDLI, drew a line between cognitive offloading, where a learner hands the task to technology, and cognitive scaffolding, where the tool supports a learner who is still doing the work. The tutor is deliberately built as the second kind.
05.The bigger picture
The launch sits inside a wider effort to make AI useful for everyday Indians rather than only specialists. Officials linked the initiatives to the National Education Policy 2020 and to the idea that a student's location or income should not decide the quality of help they can get. IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty said that excellence should never be limited by access.
Some details are still open. The full GATE-JAM course catalogue, the number of practice tests and the exact registration steps were not part of the government release, so students will need to watch the institute's official announcements. But the core offer is clear: a free, guided AI study helper now sits inside a library that lakhs of Indian students can already reach.
Frequently asked questions
Is the IIT Kharagpur AI tutor free?
Yes. The NDLI-FERMI AI Tutor is free for registered users of the National Digital Library of India. You only need to register or log in at ndl.gov.in to use it.
Which subjects does Scan and Ask cover?
It currently supports four subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. You can photograph or upload a question or an attempted solution to get guided hints.
Does the tutor give direct answers?
No. It uses a guided, Socratic approach with questions, hints and explanations, so students work towards the answer themselves instead of copying it.