India-Nepal Digital Leap: Bhashini & Kathmandu University Launch Mission to Revolutionize Language AI for the Global South

India-Nepal Digital Leap: Bhashini & Kathmandu University Launch Mission to Revolutionize Language AI for the Global South​

The Government of India and Nepal have solidified a critical technological partnership aimed at achieving digital inclusion across both nations. The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under MeitY, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kathmandu University's Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure & Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI).

The alliance establishes a framework dedicated to advancing Language AI and multilingual digital public infrastructure in the region. This initiative transcends mere technology collaboration; it is envisioned as a move to strengthen people-to-people connections and ensure equitable access to opportunities by dismantling language and literacy barriers.

During bilateral engagements in New Delhi, the exchange of the MoU took place in the presence of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Nepal's Foreign Affairs Minister Shri Shishir Khanal. This formal occasion underscores a shared commitment between India and Nepal toward harnessing emerging technologies for inclusive growth.

Defining the AI Collaboration and Scope​

Under the terms of the MoU, both institutions will collaborate intensively on creating high-quality Nepali language datasets. The scope includes building speech corpora and developing various multilingual AI resources. These resources span machine translation, text to speech, and advanced multilingual conversational AI capabilities.

A core component of the partnership is supporting the preservation and digitization of linguistic and literary heritage. The collaboration focuses particularly on low-resource and underrepresented languages across the India-Nepal region. This ensures that communities whose languages face digital extinction can access essential services in their mother tongue through AI-enabled tools.

Transforming Digital Access in Nepal​

The cooperation will significantly support the Government of Nepal in extending public digital services directly to citizens in their preferred local languages. By overcoming existing language, literacy, and digital access hurdles at the last mile, this partnership promises profound social empowerment.

Furthermore, the MoU is set to generate new economic and social opportunities for professionals, students, and entrepreneurs across Nepal. Multilingual access will enable these individuals to participate fully in education, skilling, digital commerce, and accessing crucial public services both domestically and globally.

Strategic Vision for Linguistic Inclusion​

Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India BHASHINI Division, described this partnership as a major step toward building inclusive language technology for South Asia. He noted that BHASHINI's open Digital Public Infrastructure model has immense potential to transform digital access millions across the region.

Prof. Bal Krishna Bal, Associate Dean at Kathmandu University, emphasized that the MoU reflects a shared commitment to using AI for linguistic inclusion and social impact. He stated that their joint work seeks to ensure rich linguistic heritage becomes a catalyst—not a barrier—for participation in the digital future.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division itself operates as India's national initiative for multilingual digital inclusion. The National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT) empowers scalable AI services, powering over 800 government websites and supporting 36 Indian text languages and 23 Indian voice languages. This established ecosystem strengthens the foundation for regional scaling.