In a significant step towards strengthening multilingual, AI-powered digital governance in Gujarat, the BHASHINI Rajyam – Gujarat Chapter Workshop was successfully conducted today at Narmada Hall, Swarnim Sankul–1, New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar. The workshop was organised by the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat.

The workshop aimed at “Strengthening the BHASHINI ecosystem through collective efforts in voice services, language tools, data contribution, app development, awareness, and community building,” and brought together senior government officials, Heads of Departments (HODs), technologists, innovators, startups, academia, and ecosystem partners.

The programme commenced with the traditional lamp lighting ceremony, followed by a welcome address by Shri Arvind Vijayan, IAS, Managing Director, Gujarat Informatics Limited.

Delivering the keynote address, Shri Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer, Digital India BHASHINI Division, highlighted BHASHINI’s role as the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM), serving as a Digital Public Infrastructure to enable multilingual and inclusive digital governance across India. During the session, he conducted a live demonstration of BHASHINI’s Vaani Anuvaad feature by speaking in English, which was instantly translated into Gujarati through speech-to-speech translation. The demonstration showcased BHASHINI’s capability to bridge language barriers and facilitate seamless multilingual communication in governance, public outreach, and citizen engagement.

The session was further addressed by Smt. P. Bharathi, IAS, Secretary, Science & Technology Department, Government of Gujarat, who stated, “Artificial intelligence is not merely a technology topic. It is a governance capability and a citizen enabler.”

The workshop was graced by the presence of the Hon’ble Minister Shri Arjunbhai Devabhai Modhwadia, Minister for Forests and Environment, Climate Change, Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, who delivered the key address and formally launched the state-level hackathon ‘AksharDrishti’, encouraging innovators and developers to build solutions leveraging BHASHINI’s language technology stack. Addressing the gathering, he observed, “If you go from one district to another, the way people speak changes. To truly understand them, you must live with them. That is why India is a multilingual society.”

The workshop also witnessed active engagement with participants, including discussions on practical use cases and departmental adoption strategies. A dedicated session focused on the legal and regulatory framework governing AI-based language technologies, emphasising compliance with the law of the land, data protection and privacy regulations, and responsible data-sharing practices to ensure secure and ethical deployment.

The BHASHINI Rajyam – Gujarat Chapter Workshop marks an important step in advancing multilingual, AI-enabled governance in Gujarat, reinforcing the State’s commitment to inclusive, accessible, and legally compliant digital public service delivery.

Digital platforms can fulfil their true purpose only when every citizen is able to access and use services in a language they understand comfortably. Language should never become a roadblock in governance. Our vision is to ensure that technology empowers people, not excludes them.Gujarat must take proactive steps to strengthen Gujarati language technologies. I propose the establishment of BHASHINI Gujarat Chapters in leading universities and academic institutions across the State. This will promote research, innovation, and the development of indigenous AI language models, while encouraging students, researchers, and startups to actively contribute to building a robust and culturally rooted digital ecosystem.” Hon’ble Minister Shri Arjunbhai Devabhai Modhwadia

“Artificial Intelligence is not merely a technology subject; it is a governance capability and a citizen enabler. AI deployed in public service must be trusted, safe, privacy-friendly and inclusive, ensuring that every citizen can access services in their own language. We must strengthen voice and multilingual support across our portals, applications and call centres, and from today, take focused steps to integrate BHASHINI into priority public services.”- Smt. P. Bharathi, IAS, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government

“True digital sovereignty cannot be achieved only by deploying digital systems and applications. It requires ownership of the thought process, the reasoning chains, the cultural contexts, and the linguistic nuances that define India.For decades our machines and digital interfaces have largely operated in English. As a result, English became the gateway to opportunity, learning, and professional success. This was not intentional, but a consequence of legacy systems. Over time, this also meant that technical thinking and interaction with machines felt distant to large sections of our population. A person who spoke English was often perceived as knowledgeable, whether or not they truly understood technology.
The contribution of the people to build and improve AI is not symbolic. It is visible and measurable. It directly improves system quality. He  encouraged, every department to reflect on two important questions:
 • Where can language AI simplify citizen engagement today?
 • How can your data and knowledge make these systems better?”

- Shri Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer, Digital India BHASHINI Division

“AI in government has become a buzzword in the industry, and most departments have already begun integrating AI into their governance structures while adopting various AI-driven solutions. However, there is a clear need for a dedicated AI policy and minimum standards to ensure interoperability so that systems can seamlessly communicate with each other. BHASHINI has already been successfully embedded in multiple states, and we hope this initiative becomes a stepping stone towards moving in that direction in Gujarat.” - Shri Arvind Vijayan, IAS, Managing Director, Gujarat Informatics Limited, stated:

 

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2226992) आगंतुक पटल : 100