UNLOCKING INDIA’S LINGUISTIC FUTURE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

“A language is simply not just a mode of communication; it is the soul of a civilization, its culture, its heritage.” — Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Introduction:

The Government of India is leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and machine learning to create language technologies that democratize digital access. These innovations ensure that every citizen, regardless of their mother tongue, can seamlessly engage with governance, education, and economic opportunities.

Reimagining Linguistic Inclusion through Technology

• • AI-driven platforms are revolutionizing how Indian languages are preserved and used. Flagship initiatives like Bhashini, BharatGen, and Adi-Vaani are expanding digital access across governance, healthcare, and education.
  • Complemented by projects such as SPPEL and Sanchika, these platforms transform India’s linguistic diversity into a source of technological strength. Initiatives taken by the government are as follows-

1. Adi-Vaani: AI for Tribal Language Inclusion

• • Adi-Vaani Launched in 2024, is India’s first AI-driven platform dedicated to real-time translation and preservation of tribal languages like Santali, Bhili, Mundari, and Gondi. Using advanced speech recognition and NLP, it bridges the communication gap between tribal and mainstream languages.
  • The initiative underscores India’s commitment to linguistic equity and tribal empowerment through technology.

2. SPPEL and Sanchika: Preserving Endangered Voices

• • The Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages (SPPEL), implemented by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, documents and digitally archives languages spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.
  • Its companion platform, Sanchika, serves as a digital repository aggregating dictionaries, primers, storybooks, and multimedia resources for Scheduled and tribal languages.
  • These archives not only safeguard linguistic heritage but also provide critical datasets for training AI and NLP models, powering translation systems and educational applications.

3. BharatGen: Multilingual AI for the Digital Economy

• • BharatGen develops advanced text-to-text and text-to-speech translation models for all 22 Scheduled Languages. Using data from SPPEL and Sanchika, it supports applications across governance, education, and healthcare.
  • BharatGen ensures that citizens can access digital services and content in their preferred language—building a bridge between linguistic diversity and digital empowerment.

4. Bhashini: The National Language Translation Mission

• • Under the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM), Bhashini enables real-time translation across India’s linguistic spectrum. It integrates speech recognition, machine translation, and natural language understanding, fostering linguistic inclusion in e-governance, education, and citizen services.
  • Notable innovations include Sansad Bhashini, which enables AI-powered translation of parliamentary debates, and GeMAI, an AI multilingual assistant integrated into the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), facilitating procurement processes across Indian languages.

Education and Linguistic Inclusion

India’s multilingual education strategy under NEP 2020 finds strong technological support through AI-based tools:

• • Anuvadini App: Translates engineering, medical, and law textbooks into Indian languages.
  • e-KUMBH Portal: Offers free access to technical books in regional languages, aligning with NEP’s vision of education in the mother tongue.
  • SWAYAM Platform: Hosts multilingual digital courses, with over 5 crore learners as of 2025.

These initiatives, combined with Bhashini and BharatGen, are transforming India’s learning ecosystem.

Technology Driving the Transformation: India’s multilingual ecosystem is built on an advanced AI architecture:-

• • Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) – Converts speech into text in native languages.
  • Text-to-Speech (TTS) – Delivers natural voice outputs for accessibility.
  • Neural Machine Translation (NMT) – Provides context-sensitive translation across languages.
  • Natural Language Understanding (NLU) – Enables intelligent, language-aware digital assistants.
  • IndicBERT and mBART Models – State-of-the-art multilingual transformers trained on vast Indian language corpora.

Conclusion:

This vision embodies Digital India’s core philosophy, i.e. empowering every citizen, in every language, to engage, learn, and thrive.