NEW DELHI: In a major leap toward democratizing artificial intelligence in governance and citizen services, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday launched BharatGen - India’s first indigenously developed, government-funded, AI-based Multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) - at the BharatGen Summit in New Delhi. The model, designed to support 22 Indian languages, aims to accelerate digital transformation in healthcare, education, agriculture, and e-governance.

Developed under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) and spearheaded by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT Bombay, BharatGen integrates text, speech, and image processing in native languages—making AI applications more accessible across India’s diverse linguistic landscape.

Describing BharatGen as a “national mission to create AI that is ethical, inclusive, and rooted in Indian ethos,” Dr Singh emphasized its potential to deliver region-specific AI solutions for underserved communities. He cited the example of an AI-powered doctor communicating in local languages during telemedicine sessions in remote villages, significantly improving trust and patient outcomes.

“This is not just a technological breakthrough—it’s a public service enabler,” Dr Singh noted, underlining BharatGen’s role in supporting platforms like CPGRAMS, India’s AI-enhanced grievance redressal system now studied by other countries for its multilingual feedback interface.

The initiative is being executed through a network of 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) across the country, with four already upgraded to Technology Translational Research Parks (TTRPs). The mission is anchored on four pillars: technology development, entrepreneurship, skilled manpower, and global collaboration.

BharatGen’s architecture aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, encouraging interdisciplinary learning by integrating humanities and technical fields. “This holistic approach to education and research will fuel AI innovation from both the grassroots and institutional levels,” Dr Singh said.

Industry leaders and government stakeholders, including Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, DST Secretary Prof. Abhay Karandikar, DARPG Secretary V. Srinivas, and representatives from MEITY and MSDE, participated in the summit, highlighting the collaborative model behind BharatGen’s development.

The Generative AI Hackathon 2025, also launched during the summit, aims to engage young innovators in building real-world applications powered by BharatGen. With government, academia, and startups working in tandem, the initiative is expected to lay the foundation for a self-reliant and culturally contextual AI ecosystem in India.