New Delhi: In a significant step toward enhancing linguistic inclusivity and digital transformation in the Indian Railways, the Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) and the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop and implement advanced multilingual artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for public-facing railway platforms.
The MoU was signed in New Delhi by BHASHINI CEO Amitabh Nag and CRIS Managing Director GVL Satya Kumar.
The collaboration aims to integrate BHASHINI’s cutting-edge language technology stack—which includes Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Text-to-Text Translation, Text-to-Speech (TTS), and Optical Character Recognition (OCR)—into key CRIS-managed systems such as the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) and RailMadad. This integration will enable millions of railway users to access essential services in 22 Indian languages, ensuring a more inclusive and accessible experience.
Commenting on the development, Nag said, “This collaboration will transform how millions of passengers engage with railway services daily. Through BHASHINI’s AI capabilities, we are ensuring that language is no longer a barrier to accessing vital public services.”
Kumar added, “CRIS is proud to partner with BHASHINI to implement inclusive, AI-powered solutions across our digital platforms. This will enhance accessibility, transparency, and efficiency in our passenger-facing services.”
The partnership will also focus on:
Co-developing chatbots and voice assistants to support multilingual passenger interactions,
Creating over-the-counter multilingual interfaces for railway enquiry systems,
Deploying BHASHINI-powered services across cloud and on-premise infrastructure,
Expanding the use of AI tools across websites, mobile applications, kiosks, and call centers,
Facilitating real-time, speech-based interaction in multiple Indian languages.
A series of joint technical workshops and pilot projects are planned to begin in the coming months.
This MoU aligns with the broader goals of the Digital India initiative and underscores India’s growing leadership in developing language-based AI for public digital infrastructure.
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