India and Nepal Join Hands to Build ‘Voice-First’ Multilingual AI Platform.
BHASHINI and Kathmandu University Sign Landmark MoU to Advance Language AI and Digital Public Infrastructure.
New Delhi:
In a significant step toward strengthening regional cooperation in digital innovation and language technology, the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure & Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI) of Kathmandu University.
The partnership aims to establish a collaborative framework for developing advanced Language Artificial Intelligence (AI), multilingual Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and inclusive digital ecosystems across India and Nepal.
The MoU was signed by Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer of BHASHINI, and Bal Krishna Bal, Associate Dean of Kathmandu University. The exchange of the agreement took place in the presence of S. Jaishankar and Shishir Khanal during bilateral engagements held in New Delhi.
Strengthening Regional Digital Cooperation
The agreement reflects a shared commitment by India and Nepal to harness emerging technologies for inclusive growth, social empowerment, and regional integration. More than a technology partnership, the initiative seeks to deepen people-to-people connections, preserve linguistic diversity, and bridge language, literacy, and digital access barriers across South Asia.
Officials described the collaboration as a major milestone in promoting multilingual digital inclusion and ensuring that technology remains accessible to citizens regardless of their linguistic background.
Focus on Language AI and Digital Inclusion
Under the MoU, BHASHINI and Kathmandu University will jointly develop high-quality Nepali language datasets, speech corpora, and multilingual AI resources. The collaboration will focus on key language technologies including:
Speech-to-Text (STT)
Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Machine Translation
Multilingual Conversational AI
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
The initiative will also support the preservation and digitization of linguistic and literary heritage, particularly for low-resource and underrepresented languages spoken across the India-Nepal region. This effort aims to prevent digital exclusion of communities whose native languages are at risk of disappearing from the digital landscape.
Enabling Voice-First Public Services in Nepal
A major objective of the partnership is to leverage BHASHINI’s open and interoperable language technology ecosystem to help the Government of Nepal deliver digital public services in citizens’ preferred languages.
By enabling voice-first and multilingual access to government platforms, the initiative seeks to reduce language and literacy barriers, especially in remote and underserved communities. The collaboration is expected to improve last-mile service delivery and make digital governance more inclusive.
Joint Research and Capacity Building
The MoU also outlines plans for collaborative research, training programmes, capacity-building initiatives, and pilot projects in multilingual AI and Digital Public Infrastructure.
Universities, researchers, language experts, technology professionals, and policymakers from both countries will work together to advance innovation in language technologies and create scalable solutions for public use.
Economic and Social Opportunities
Beyond public service delivery, the partnership is expected to create new opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, professionals, and citizens in Nepal. Improved multilingual access to education, skill development, digital commerce, and government services could help expand participation in both regional and global digital economies.
Experts believe the initiative could serve as a model for other countries in the Global South seeking to build inclusive digital ecosystems powered by local languages.
Leaders Highlight Shared Vision
Speaking on the occasion, Amitabh Nag, CEO of BHASHINI, said the collaboration represents an important step in India’s commitment to building inclusive language technology for the region.
“BHASHINI’s open Digital Public Infrastructure model has the potential to transform digital access for millions of citizens across South Asia. This collaboration will help us extend that vision beyond India’s borders while strengthening our shared linguistic and cultural heritage and building the next generation of multilingual AI for the Global South,” he said.
Professor Bal Krishna Bal of Kathmandu University emphasized the importance of leveraging AI for linguistic inclusion.
“Through collaboration between the DPI-AI Center at Kathmandu University and BHASHINI, we seek to advance research, innovation, and capacity building in multilingual AI, ensuring that our rich linguistic heritage becomes a catalyst—not a barrier—for participation in the digital future,” he noted.
About BHASHINI
The Digital India BHASHINI Division is India’s flagship initiative for AI-driven multilingual digital inclusion. Through the National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT), BHASHINI provides scalable speech and text-based AI services for governance, public platforms, and institutions.
Currently, the platform powers more than 800 government websites, processes over 15 million AI inferences daily, and supports 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages, and 35 international languages. It also promotes open-source innovation, multilingual AI research, startup development, dataset creation, and academic collaborations as part of India’s growing Digital Public Infrastructure ecosystem.
A New Chapter in India-Nepal Digital Partnership
The BHASHINI–Kathmandu University partnership marks a significant advancement in cross-border collaboration on language technology and AI. By combining expertise in multilingual AI, Digital Public Infrastructure, and language preservation, the initiative aims to build a more inclusive digital future where citizens can access information and services in their own languages, fostering greater participation, connectivity, and socio-economic development across the region.
