PM Modi unveils 'Bhashini': India's first AI tool for language translation, stepping up digital innovation

In a notable step, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's dedication to digital inclusion during his remarks at the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' meeting on 19 August, 2023. He introduced 'Bhashini,' an AI-powered language translation software intended to overcome the digital divide in India across all societal segments.

In a statement, PM Modi emphasised the value of inclusion in the digital era and said that Bhashini will be essential in ensuring that technology is available across all of India. The platform's goal is to make it possible for those who are not fluent in frequently spoken languages to access and utilise digital resources. This is consistent with India's advancement in digital inclusion, which has been driven by reasonably priced data consumption rates that have given the nation's 850 million or more internet users more power.

What is Bhashini?

'Bhashini,' a cutting-edge AI-powered multilingual translation tool, is a pivotal addition to the Digital India initiative, launched to facilitate digital service delivery to citizens under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi's BJP government.

PM Modi introduced the AI-based 'Bhashini' platform in 2022 as part of the National Language Technology Mission (NLTM), which is administered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity). To support a wide range of Indian languages, this platform combines open-source models, tools, and solutions with technologies like AUML and NLP.

Bhashini supports the development of innovative goods and services in Indian languages by developing an ecosystem that taps into datasets and models, helping Indian MSMEs, startups, and individual innovators. Finally, this project allows non-English-speaking communities to smoothly access the global Internet in their regional languages, furthering digital inclusion.

PM Modi's vision

"Our unique digital identity platform, Aadhar, covers more than 1.3 billion of our people, when discussing how India has leveraged technology to promote financial inclusion. In order to completely reinvent financial inclusion in India, we leveraged the power of the "gem trinity": Jan-Dhan Bank accounts, Aadhar, and mobile phones."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Then he said, "We can create a whole ecosystem for technologically based answers to the problems that humanity faces. Conviction, commitment, coordination, and collaboration are the only things we need to do to help."

Four Cs for global technological ecosystem

Addressing the attendees, Prime Minister Modi proposed a roadmap for addressing global challenges through technology. He outlined the importance of Conviction, Commitment, Coordination, and Collaboration – the 'four Cs—in building a robust ecosystem for technology-based solutions. By fostering a collaborative approach, countries can collectively work towards resolving critical global issues.

India's role as a solution testing lab

PM Modi emphasised India's unique position as an excellent testing ground for creative ideas due to its diversified cultural environment and technical competence. He stated that successful solutions in India may be effortlessly adopted for global deployment. This indicates India's eagerness to share its experiences and expertise with the rest of the world.