Guwahati: In a major push toward bridging linguistic gaps through technology, the Assam government and the Centre on Monday signed an MoU to bring Assamese, Bodo and other indigenous languages onto India’s national AI-powered language platform, Bhashini.
The integration will allow citizens to speak in their mother tongue while the platform’s real-time voice-based artificial intelligence translates conversations into any other Indian language, enabling seamless communication across linguistic communities.
The MoU was signed in Guwahati in the presence of Assam Information Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta and Chief Secretary Ravi Kota.
The agreement was formalised by IT Department Principal Secretary Gopinath Narayan and Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India Bhashini Division under the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
Developed under the Digital India initiative, Bhashini is envisioned as a public digital platform that enables citizens to communicate with government offices, institutions and services in the language they are most comfortable with.
The technology is also expected to boost the use and preservation of Assam’s indigenous languages on digital platforms.
Under the agreement, the Bhashini Division will assist the state in expanding the presence of Assamese, Bodo and other local languages on the platform and help government departments deliver services in these languages.
Officials said the move would widen access to public services and strengthen the digital representation of Assam’s linguistic heritage.
Calling the signing a “historic moment,” Minister Mahanta said the initiative aligns with the spirit of the Assam Accord by safeguarding the cultural and linguistic identity of indigenous communities.
He added that the move complements the state’s recent policy to use Assamese and other local languages in official work.
“People can now speak in their mother tongue and still be fully understood across the country. Bhashini will bridge the language divide in a way India has never seen before,” he said.
A state-level workshop, Bhashini Rajyam, was also launched on the occasion, bringing together officials from government departments, Gauhati University, IIT Guwahati, Asam Sahitya Sabha, Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Bangla Sahitya Sabha and other cultural bodies.
Mahanta urged departments to identify pilot projects that can quickly demonstrate the platform’s utility in administrative work.
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Chief Secretary Ravi Kota said effective governance begins with the language people think and communicate in.
He described the MoU as a “visionary step” toward inclusive digital governance for Assam.
Bhashini currently supports 36 Indian languages and is used across sectors including agriculture, health, education, tourism and public administration.
The platform allows citizens to communicate, write and navigate official portals without facing language barriers.
With the signing of the MoU, Assam aims to ensure that technology reinforces—and not replaces—its cultural and linguistic identity, giving citizens greater confidence to engage with the digital world in their own voices.
