The Bhashini project, an abbreviation for BHASa INterface for India, is a governmental project and an AI-led language translation platform that functions as a piece of Digital Public Infrastructure. It was launched in July 2022 by the Prime Minister, though the underlying concept was ideated by the Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) in September 2018.
The project was created to implement the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM), which was announced in the Union Budget 2021-2022. The core problem it solves is the language barrier, which a survey indicated was preventing over fifty percent of non-users from accessing the internet. Its goal is to ensure digital empowerment and inclusion by making digital content and services available in all Indian languages.
Bhashini works by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to provide real-time translation and conversion services. The platform hosts over 300 pre-trained AI models for functions like Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Machine Translation (MT), and Voice-to-Voice Conversion, which are exposed via Open Bhashini APIs. It currently offers services in 22 Indian languages. A crucial mechanism for its development is the crowdsourcing initiative called 'Bhashadaan' (or Bhasha Dan), which invites the public to contribute language data to train and improve the AI models.
The project is championed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and is managed by the Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) under the Digital India Corporation (DIC). It is closely connected to the broader Digital India program, aligning with its vision of a digitally empowered society. The platform has seen recent adoption, with the Prime Minister using it for real-time translation in December 2023 and the Finance Minister using it during the 2024 Union budget speech.