The Federation House in New Delhi came alive on 25th July 2025 as FICCI hosted the landmark conference, “Multilingual Internet – Empowering Viksit Bharat through Language Technologies,” alongside the Bhashantara 2025 deliberations. The event brought together government officials, industry leaders, technology innovators, and international organisations to explore how language technologies can drive India’s inclusive digital future.
The day began with the Inaugural Session, “Catalysing Digital Inclusion through Language Technologies.” Dr. Ajay Data, Chairman of the Multilingual Internet and Universal Acceptance Committee at FICCI and CEO of Data Xgen Technologies, welcomed participants and emphasised the role of linguistic diversity in shaping India’s digital growth. The session highlighted that in a country with hundreds of spoken languages, inclusive digital access and local language innovation are essential for bridging the rural-urban divide.
Google’s Harsh Dhand offered industry insights on how AI-powered multilingual solutions are unlocking opportunities for millions of Indians. This was followed by remarks from Jyoti Vij, Director General of FICCI, who underlined the importance of public-private collaboration in ensuring that no citizen is left behind in the nation’s journey toward Viksit Bharat. The keynote address by S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to language technologies as a tool for empowerment, especially in underserved regions. Sandeep Nulkar, Co-Chair of the Multilingual Internet and Universal Acceptance Committee, concluded the session with a vote of thanks.
The programme continued with a keynote session titled “Empowering Every Child, Every Voice” by Gibson Riungu, Chief Information Technology and Digital Innovation at UNICEF India. He focused on how emerging language technologies can bridge educational divides, ensuring children across the country can learn and access information in their native languages.
A case study on multilingualism in smart governance was presented by Ujjwal Relan, Vice President at Samagra. She demonstrated how multilingual platforms are transforming e-governance by enabling citizens to engage with government services in their preferred languages, thereby increasing participation and trust.
The afternoon featured a panel discussion on “Harnessing Large Language Models (LLMs) for Multilingual AI.” Moderated by Manil Gupta from Boston Consulting Group, the discussion explored advancements in Indic language processing, scalable AI infrastructure, and ethical AI deployment. Panelists included senior officials from NIC and the Ministry of Education, as well as leaders from Data Xgen, IIT Bombay, Bobble AI, and Intel. The session underscored the importance of collaboration between academia, industry, and government to ensure linguistic equity in AI systems.
Later, Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini, delivered a keynote address on The Future of Voice and Vernacular in India’s Digital Transformation. He explained how voice-based and vernacular technologies could redefine user experiences and make digital platforms more accessible for India’s vast non-English-speaking population.
The special session on “Universal Acceptance and Email Address Internationalisation” highlighted the importance of enabling domain names and email addresses in local languages. Moderated by Dr. Ajay Data, the panel featured experts from MeitY, ICANN, C-DAC, and the Universal Acceptance Steering Group. They emphasised that Universal Acceptance standards are vital to creating inclusive digital identities and ensuring equitable participation in the internet economy.
The final panel of the day, “Multilingual Internet as a Catalyst for India’s $1 Trillion Digital Economy,” was moderated by Sandeep Nulkar. Leaders from the language technology and localisation industries—including CITLoB, Process9, Ailaysa, Reverie Language Technologies, NIXI, and JNU—discussed how linguistic inclusion could fuel entrepreneurship, innovation, and skill development. They highlighted that a truly multilingual internet would not only democratise access to services but also unlock significant economic potential by engaging users in their native languages.
At the Bhashantara 2025 segment of the conference, S Krishnan highlighted India’s openness to sharing its artificial intelligence models with the Global South. He stressed that India’s language technology ecosystem is diverse enough to lead global AI development. The country’s collaborative approach, supported by discussions with UN officials, positions India as a potential alternative to other AI ecosystems by offering solutions explicitly designed for multilingual, resource-constrained environments.
Under the government’s India AI Mission, AI Kosh—a data repository with more than 400 databases—has been established to support researchers and entrepreneurs developing multilingual AI solutions. Mission Bhashini and Anuvadini were highlighted as key programmes advancing language technology, particularly in capturing regional dialects. India is also digitising traditional knowledge, including Ayurvedic texts and historical manuscripts, to create comprehensive datasets for global healthcare and research communities.
The conference further underlined the importance of multi-stakeholder participation across academia, industry, and research institutions. Industry leaders committed to contributing by providing access to technology, funding for startups and academia, and skilling initiatives. They also requested that the government unlock historical data from institutions such as Prasar Bharati and All India Radio, expand the definition of “Make in India” to “Made in India by India for India,” and strengthen connections between research entities to reduce duplication of efforts.
Another key achievement highlighted was India’s progress in democratising internet access through local language domain names. With domain names now available in all official Indian languages, the potential to engage the 6 billion non-English speakers worldwide was emphasised as a vast commercial and social opportunity.
The event concluded with the message that India is no longer debating the possibility of a multilingual internet, but rather mobilising around its urgency. From AI-driven translation systems to vernacular voice interfaces and local language domain names, the innovations showcased at Multilingual Internet and Bhashantara 2025 highlighted that technology, when combined with cultural sensitivity, can be a powerful driver of national and global growth.
The conference closed with networking over hi-tea, leaving participants inspired and committed to working together toward a future where every Indian can access, create, and thrive in the digital world—no matter their language.