India is set to reduce dependence on foreign AI systems by rolling out its own indigenous, secure, and multilingual AI platform. This initiative, part of the Bharat GenAI program, is expected to provide a new direction for Digital India.
According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Science and Technology, the text-based AI model under Bharat GenAI will be ready by this month. Unlike conventional AI models limited to English, Bharat GenAI will be capable of communicating in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, and other major Indian languages. Its speech and vision-enabled version will allow users to interact using voice and visual inputs.
Already Developed in 15 Languages
Dr. Singh stated that Bharat GenAI, developed under the India AI Mission, will be the country’s first national foundational large language model, designed specifically for Indian needs and socio-cultural contexts. The AI’s speech (speaking) and vision (visual understanding) capabilities have already been developed in 15 Indian languages, with plans to gradually expand to additional languages.
Applications in Agriculture, Health, and Law
Bharat GenAI is not limited to chat or information delivery. The AI system will also support agriculture, Ayurveda, healthcare, and legal assistance, enabling citizens to benefit directly from AI-driven solutions.
Led by IIT Consortium
The project is spearheaded by IIT Bombay, with collaboration from IIT Madras, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, IIT Mandi, and IIT Indore. The government emphasized that while AI models worldwide are often built for homogeneous societies, Bharat GenAI is being designed to reflect India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
Infrastructure and Funding
Bharat GenAI has three core components: Text, Speech, and Vision. To support development, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs have been set up nationwide, providing subsidized computing resources, including GPUs and servers.
Additionally, the government has launched a ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation Fund to boost AI and technology development, with provisions for private sector participation.
Dr. Singh clarified that Bharat GenAI will be a government-owned sovereign AI system but will remain accessible to the public, startups, and institutions. Rules regarding usage, data security, and pricing are being finalized.
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