MoPR and Bhashini Join Hands to Enable Multilingual e-Governance for Villages

In a landmark step toward making governance more inclusive and citizen-focused, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and Bhashini, the National Language Translation Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable real-time multilingual capabilities on the eGramSwaraj platform. The strategic collaboration is set to revolutionize access to digital governance in rural India, empowering citizens in their own languages.

The MoU was signed on [Date] at an official ceremony in New Delhi, in the presence of senior dignitaries and officials including:

• Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj

• Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj

• Shri Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY

• Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, MoPR

• Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO, Bhashini

• Dr. Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, MoPR

The MoU was formally signed by Shri Alok Prem Nagar on behalf of MoPR and Shri Amitabh Nag on behalf of Bhashini.

A Leap Toward Linguistic Inclusion and Grassroots Empowerment

Union Minister Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel hailed the collaboration as a transformative step toward participatory digital governance, especially for India’s diverse rural populations. He underscored that integrating Bhashini’s AI-powered language translation tools with eGramSwaraj will break language barriers and allow rural citizens to access planning, budgeting, and service delivery tools in 22 scheduled Indian languages.

“Digital services must speak the language of the people,” said Prof. Baghel. “This collaboration ensures that governance is not only digitally enabled but also linguistically inclusive, thereby strengthening democracy at the grassroots.”

The Minister also highlighted India’s successful implementation of Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) and the role digital infrastructure has played in enhancing transparency and improving Ease of Living in rural areas. He praised the integration of Common Service Centres (CSCs) with Panchayat Bhawans and their growing role as hubs for rural digital access.

Multilingual eGramSwaraj: Democratising Governance

The eGramSwaraj platform, used by over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, is the government’s flagship digital tool for planning, budgeting, and reporting at the Panchayat level. With the integration of Bhashini’s real-time translation layer, rural stakeholders can now interact with the platform in their native languages, making it easier to understand, participate in, and manage local governance processes.

Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary of MoPR, described the MoU as “historic,” noting that linguistic inclusivity has long been a gap in digital governance. He emphasized the importance of Bhashini’s text and voice-based language tools, especially for citizens accessing government services via basic mobile devices in rural and remote areas.

“With this initiative, we are enabling Gram Panchayats to communicate timely and accurate information related to health, education, agriculture, and welfare in local languages,” Bharadwaj added.

Bhashini’s Digital Footprint and Future Roadmap

Shri Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at MeitY, said that while the MoU formalized the partnership, the collaboration between Bhashini and MoPR is already active and has seen significant adoption. He revealed that over 100 crore AI-driven inferences have been generated using Bhashini tools—15 crore from MoPR platforms alone.

Singh emphasized the strategic value of initiatives such as:

• Bhashini Udyat: API-based translation integrations

• Bhashini Mitra: Development of advanced translation models

• Bhashini Appmitra: Integration of spellcheckers and grammar assistants

• Bhashini Sahyogi: Community contribution through the Bhashadaan platform

• Bhashini Pravakta: Outreach for vernacular digital governance

“These projects will further localize digital services, empowering every citizen to engage with their government in a language they understand,” said Singh.

Celebrating Unity in Diversity

The event featured the debut of the Bhashini Anthem, an artistic tribute to India’s linguistic heritage. The powerful composition, performed by renowned Indian musicians, highlighted the mission’s core message of “One India, Many Languages, One Voice.”

A launch video showcased the technical integration of Bhashini’s AI/ML translation engines into eGramSwaraj, demonstrating real-time interface adaptation across regional languages. The solution leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) customized for Indian linguistic patterns and voice inputs.

Toward Digitally Self-Reliant Villages

The collaboration between MoPR and Bhashini is a critical component of India’s broader vision for digitally empowered and self-reliant villages, aligning with the national objectives of the Digital India Mission. By integrating AI with local governance, the partnership aims to make every Gram Panchayat a tech-enabled engine of development.

Prof. Baghel concluded by calling the MoU “not merely a technical agreement, but a symbol of democratic inclusivity,” further asserting that it brings the government closer to every citizen, in their own language, at their doorstep.