Digital inclusion is being rewritten in India. The nation is dedicated to making sure that no citizen is left behind because of the language they speak, whether that means implementing the first government-backed, multilingual major language model or utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to upgrade its railway infrastructure.
The dominant force in South Asia has announced a significant AI-driven plan to digitally revamp its extensive railway system, the fourth largest in the world. The goal of this enormous initiative is to transform the everyday experiences of millions of passengers nationwide by incorporating cutting-edge multilingual artificial intelligence techniques into Indian Railways’ core digital infrastructure.
The goal of the change is to remove language as a barrier to using railway services, and it is being led by BHASHINI, a government-backed multilingual technology platform. The government intends to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of railway services for individuals from a variety of linguistic backgrounds by implementing AI-driven solutions that support several Indian languages.
With more than 1.2 million employees, Indian Railways is the second-largest employer in India and the ninth-largest employer globally, making its upgrading very important. Furthermore, by 2050, India is predicted to be responsible for 40% of all rail activity worldwide.
The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) decided to collaborate on the use of AI-powered multilingual tools across important railway platforms in order to modernize these systems. The goal is to integrate BHASHINI’s cutting-edge language technologies, including as text-to-speech, speech recognition, translation, and text scanning, into RailMadad and the National Train Enquiry System (NTES). People would be able to use 22 Indian languages to obtain basic railway services.
“This collaboration will transform how millions of passengers engage with railway services daily. Through BHASHINI’s AI capabilities, we are ensuring that language is no longer a barrier to accessing vital public services,” Amitabh Nag, chief executive officer of BHASHINI, said in a statement.
Additionally, the partnership will concentrate on developing AI-powered voice assistants and chatbots to assist travelers in several languages, establishing multilingual help lines, and implementing these services on websites, applications, kiosks, and contact centers. Both local and cloud infrastructure will support the services, and many Indian languages will enable real-time voice conversations. Trial runs and technical sessions will shortly start.
This collaboration demonstrates the nation’s leadership in applying AI to create inclusive public digital services while advancing the objectives of Digital India. The project marks a turning point in the relationship between artificial intelligence and public service.
“At their core, these efforts aim to dismantle one of India’s most persistent barriers to equitable access: linguistic fragmentation,” Raj Kapoor, chairman of India AI Alliance, told CoinGeek.
“By leveraging BHASHINI’s multilingual capabilities, the government intends to render railway services intelligible and navigable across India’s vast linguistic landscape, thereby enhancing user experience, operational efficiency, and civic inclusion,” Kapoor added.
One of the main initiatives of the National Language Translation Mission is the DIBD, which is run by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The goal of BHASHINI, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched in July 2022, is to make digital material available in all Indian languages. It functions as a public digital resource and provides top-notch language translation services to satisfy India’s varied linguistic demands by utilizing cutting-edge application programming interface (API) technology.
India unveils AI-based multimodal large language model
At the same time, India unveiled BharatGen, the nation’s first government-funded, locally created, AI-based multimodal large language model (LLM).
The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) created the flagship project BharatGen with the goal of creating an AI ecosystem that is representative of India’s linguistic variety, cultural values, and ethical underpinnings. Through the seamless integration of text, audio, and visual data, this national initiative seeks to create a strong, inclusive, and multilingual artificial intelligence platform that facilitates communication in 22 Indian languages.
BharatGen aims to guarantee that cutting-edge technologies benefit all citizens, regardless of language or region, by placing a high priority on accessibility, linguistic inclusiveness, and ethical AI research.
“This initiative will empower critical sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and governance, delivering region-specific AI solutions that understand and serve every Indian,” Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, said in a statement.
Singh said that BharatGen is in line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “India’s Techade,” which emphasizes equitable growth and access for everyone in addition to technical innovation.
The project aims to alter vital industries including public administration, healthcare, education, and agriculture by bringing the power of AI to the grassroots level. For example, telemedicine services might be extended to underprivileged rural populations via AI-powered virtual health aides that can communicate in local languages. Multilingual AI capabilities may make it possible for government agencies to better comprehend and interact with a variety of communities by enabling more inclusive citizen input channels.
“As a government-funded LLM built with Indian datasets and cultural context in mind, it has the potential to catalyze sector-specific innovation across governance, education, healthcare, and legal services. Its development signifies not only technological ambition but also a broader geopolitical assertion of digital autonomy in an era increasingly dominated by foreign AI infrastructure,” Kapoor of India AI Alliance told CoinGeek.
“Critically, these initiatives also serve as high-stakes test beds for large-scale public AI deployment. Their success could institutionalize trust in AI systems and set precedents for ethical, inclusive innovation within the public sector. However, their transformative potential will only be realized if matched by rigorous data governance, accessibility infrastructure, and a commitment to responsible AI stewardship,” Kapoor added.
Indian province joins BHASHINI for language access
Mizoram, a small state in India’s northeast, is quietly making big strides in its digital journey by promoting inclusive governance and breaking language barriers. In a significant move, the provincial government of Mizoram has joined hands with the Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) to bring multilingual technology to the state. This step will help the Mizo community access public services in their own language.
As part of this partnership, Mizoram will adopt BHASHINI’s advanced language platform. This will not only make governance more inclusive but also protect the linguistic identity of the state while improving digital access for all its residents.
“BHASHINI is proud to support Mizoram in enabling multilingual governance and fostering innovation rooted in the state’s linguistic diversity. Together, we are building a future where every Indian, regardless of language, can access digital opportunities,” said Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
This agreement is seen as a milestone in Mizoram’s efforts to make governance accessible in native languages. It will help tribal communities and others get government information, schemes, and support in Mizo and other local dialects. The aim is to remove language hurdles from governance and ensure that communication from the government is clear, culturally relevant, and easy to understand. The initiative also focuses on building trust, promoting transparency, and encouraging greater community participation.
Another key aspect of this collaboration is the development of Mizo language AI tools. By improving language datasets and creating better, more accurate tools, the project will help meet the needs of India’s multilingual society.
“This partnership with BHASHINI will make digital governance truly accessible to every Mizo citizen. By preserving our language while embracing technology, we are building a more inclusive digital future for Mizoram,” said Khilli Ram Meena, Chief Secretary, Government of Mizoram.
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