In a significant move to promote inclusive and indigenous AI innovation, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated BharatGen — India’s first domestically developed multimodal large language model — during the BharatGen Summit held in New Delhi on Monday. This government-supported AI initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by extending technology deep into the heart of rural India.
Developed under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NMICPS) and led by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT Bombay, BharatGen integrates text, speech, and image data to create powerful, multilingual solutions tailored to India’s diverse population. The model currently supports 22 Indian languages.
“This marks a significant move toward a sovereign Generative AI ecosystem. We envision BharatGen as a foundation for building domain-specific, India-centric AI solutions,” said Professor Ganesh Ramakrishnan from IIT Bombay, who is heading the project.
Backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), BharatGen is the result of a collaborative effort between academic institutions and innovative minds. Its emphasis on ethical design, linguistic inclusion, and Indian cultural values reflects the country’s broader vision for responsible AI development.
Dr. Singh outlined the model’s transformative potential across various fields including healthcare, governance, education, and agriculture. He specifically emphasized its use in telemedicine, where AI can facilitate patient-doctor conversations in native languages, enabling superspecialty services to reach underserved rural areas. “When doctors speak in a patient’s language, it builds trust and psychologically uplifts them—akin to a placebo effect,” he said.
Aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “India’s Techade” vision, the project also underscores the idea of innovation for inclusion. Professor Ramakrishnan stressed that BharatGen is not just a product but a foundational resource for startups, developers, and system integrators to build scalable, local AI applications.
During the summit, Dr. Singh also highlighted government efforts to strengthen R&D through the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (NRF) and appreciated schemes like PM MUDRA Yojana, PM SVANidhi, and PM Vishwakarma Yojana for empowering small entrepreneurs and artisans.
The event also celebrated the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for promoting interdisciplinary learning, enabling students to blend tech and humanities for greater innovation. Examples of agritech innovation, like lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir, were spotlighted to showcase grassroots progress beyond metropolitan areas.
The launch of BharatGen signifies a pivotal milestone in India’s journey toward advancing artificial intelligence. With a focus on cultural relevance, linguistic inclusion, and ethical design, BharatGen is poised to serve as a transformative force, strengthening digital equity and citizen empowerment.
