By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI:The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in collaboration with the Department of Information Technology, Government of Manipur, organised the BHASHINI Rajyam Workshop, Manipur Chapter, in Imphal on 14 October 2026. The workshop explored opportunities to advance multilingual artificial intelligence, strengthen language technology and integrate Indian language solutions into government and citizen-facing digital services.
The programme was graced by Shri Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur, and brought together government representatives and other stakeholders to discuss the role of language technology in making digital services more accessible and inclusive.
A key outcome of the workshop was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DIBD and the Government of Manipur, represented by Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO, DIBD, and Shri Somorjit Salam, IAS, Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Manipur. The MoU aims to strengthen cooperation in language technology, improve language resources and explore solutions for multilingual digital services across the state.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur, highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence and language technology to promote India’s linguistic diversity and expand opportunities for the state’s communities. “Through artificial intelligence and language technology, we are promoting India’s diverse languages and exploring opportunities to bring more of Manipur’s languages into the digital space. Our linguistic diversity is a valuable strength as we move forward,” he said.
Shri Somorjit Salam, IAS, Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Manipur, emphasised that digital services must be accessible and meaningful to the people they are intended to serve. “Digital services are effective only when people can understand and use them confidently. Through BHASHINI, we can address language barriers with carefully tested solutions that respond to Manipur’s needs and deliver lasting public benefit,” he said.
The workshop provided an overview of BHASHINI’s Language-First Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and its multilingual AI ecosystem, highlighting the role of language datasets, AI models, APIs and applications in enabling digital services across languages. Discussions explored how these capabilities could be integrated into government platforms and citizen-facing applications to support more accessible service delivery.
A live demonstration of real-time English-to-Manipuri translation showcased the potential of language technology to bridge communication gaps. The session also highlighted the importance of building digital language resources and validating language models using relevant data, with inputs from language experts and local communities, to improve their usefulness in real-world settings.
Speaking on the need to build language technologies that reflect India’s diversity, Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO, DIBD, said: “AI must understand India in all its linguistic diversity. Through our partnership with Manipur, we aim to strengthen language technologies, expand practical applications and ensure that language is not a barrier to accessing digital services or pursuing opportunities,” he said.
The workshop highlighted the linguistic diversity of Manipur, including Manipuri, Tangkhul, Thadou, Paite, Hmar, Liangmai and other languages spoken across the state. The state’s linguistic knowledge, local expertise and community participation can contribute to developing language technologies that better reflect regional needs and communication practices.
Sessions explored applications of multilingual AI in governance and citizen services, including education, healthcare, legal services and grievance redressal. BHASHINI शिल्पी, an interactive platform for developers, students and innovators, provided an opportunity to learn, experiment, solve problems and build with Language AI. Going beyond a conventional technology session, it encouraged participants to explore real-world challenges, exchange ideas and discover possibilities for developing, scaling and innovating with BHASHINI’s language technologies, services and APIs. The interactive Q&A further enabled participants to discuss potential applications and seek clarity on implementation. The BHASHINI Mitra initiative was also highlighted as an avenue for state institutions and language communities to contribute language data and strengthen multilingual AI resources.
As a next step, DIBD and the Government of Manipur will identify priority use cases, assess language-data requirements and explore the integration of BHASHINI’s language technologies into relevant government platforms. The collaboration will also focus on strengthening language resources and working with language experts and local communities to develop and validate solutions that reflect the state’s linguistic diversity and public service needs.
The BHASHINI Rajyam initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between BHASHINI and state governments, helping translate language technology capabilities into practical solutions that improve access to digital services and enable wider participation in India’s digital ecosystem.
About Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD)
The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, is advancing India’s Language-First Digital Public Infrastructure to enable multilingual access to digital services. BHASHINI brings together language datasets, AI models, APIs and applications to support government departments, developers, researchers and other stakeholders in building multilingual AI solutions. It powers more than 800 government websites, has enabled over 9 billion cumulative AI inferences and processes more than 24 million AI inferences daily. BHASHINI supports 36 Indian languages for text, 23 Indian languages for voice and 35 international languages, advancing the adoption of language technology across India’s digital ecosystem.
