The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen multilingual access across India’s public procurement ecosystem. The collaboration aims to make government procurement services more accessible and inclusive by enabling users to interact with the GeM platform in their preferred Indian languages.
The partnership brings together BHASHINI, India’s national language technology platform under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and GeM, the Government of India’s online public procurement portal under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Focus on Multilingual Governance and Digital Inclusion
The initiative is designed to remove language barriers that often limit participation in government procurement processes. Through the integration of BHASHINI’s language technologies, GeM users will be able to access information, navigate services, and engage with the platform in multiple Indian languages.
Officials said the collaboration will support multilingual governance and improve access to digital services for businesses, entrepreneurs, startups, and sellers operating across diverse linguistic regions of the country.
AI and Voice-First Technologies to Power the Initiative
Under the agreement, both organisations will work on developing and deploying advanced language technology solutions across the GeM ecosystem.
The collaboration will focus on:
- AI-powered translation services
- Voice-enabled digital interfaces
- Multilingual conversational tools
- Domain-specific language models
- Language glossaries for procurement services
- Voice bots and digital assistants
- Development of linguistic datasets
The objective is to create a seamless “voice-first” experience that enables users to interact naturally with government platforms in their own language.
Easier Access for MSMEs and Startups
The initiative is expected to particularly benefit Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), startups, local entrepreneurs, and businesses from non-English-speaking regions.
By simplifying platform access and communication, the collaboration aims to ensure that language does not become a barrier to participating in government tenders and procurement opportunities.
Officials noted that wider multilingual support can help improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) while encouraging greater participation from businesses across the country.
Capacity Building and Language Resource Development
As part of the partnership, both organisations will also promote awareness programmes, language data contributions through the Bhashadaan initiative, and capacity-building activities to encourage wider adoption of multilingual AI tools.
The collaboration will support the creation and curation of language resources that can further strengthen digital governance and public service delivery.
Leaders Highlight Importance of Inclusive Technology
Speaking on the partnership, Ajit B. Chavan, Additional CEO and Chief Seller Officer of GeM, said the collaboration aims to leverage AI-powered language technologies to break linguistic barriers in public procurement and make GeM more accessible for buyers and sellers across India.
Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India BHASHINI Division, said the initiative reflects BHASHINI’s commitment to making digital public infrastructure inclusive and accessible in Indian languages. He noted that the collaboration would help democratize access to government procurement while empowering local businesses, startups, MSMEs, and indigenous enterprises to connect with national opportunities.
Strengthening India’s Digital Public Infrastructure
The partnership further reinforces BHASHINI‘s role as a key component of India’s digital public infrastructure ecosystem. By combining multilingual AI capabilities with one of the country’s largest public procurement platforms, the initiative seeks to create a more inclusive, transparent, and citizen-friendly digital marketplace.
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With growing emphasis on digital governance and linguistic inclusion, the collaboration is expected to expand access to government services and economic opportunities for millions of users across India’s diverse language landscape.