Digital India BHASHINI Division Signs MoU with Government e-Marketplace

The Digital India BHASHINI Division has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to integrate real-time translation AI engines into the public procurement portal. The integration will allow users to perform voice and text searches in regional languages, helping local sellers access government procurement opportunities.

1. The BHASHINI Platform and Language AI

BHASHINI (BHASa Interface for India) is an AI-led language translation platform developed under the National Language Translation Mission, launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Its objective is to break language barriers by providing open-source datasets, APIs, and models for real-time translation and voice recognition in Indian languages. The platform uses deep learning models to support voice-to-voice, voice-to-text, and text-to-text translations across the 22 scheduled languages of India.

2. GeM: Mandate and Public Procurement

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a one-stop online portal launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It serves as the mandatory portal for the procurement of common-use goods and services by all Central Government ministries, departments, public sector undertakings (PSUs), and autonomous bodies. GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency, and speed in public procurement while promoting digital inclusion for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and local artisans.

3. Multilingualism and Digital Inclusion

Integrating BHASHINI's translation tools with GeM will allow small-scale sellers, cooperative societies, and self-help groups from non-English speaking backgrounds to participate in the public procurement system. Sellers can list their products, query bid requirements, and submit tenders in their local languages, reducing transaction barriers in the government supply chain.