The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the beta version of Adi Vaani, India’s first AI-powered translation platform for tribal languages, marking a transformative step in linguistic preservation and inclusive digital empowerment. Developed by a national consortium led by IIT Delhi in collaboration with BITS Pilani, IIIT Hyderabad, IIIT Nava Raipur, and Tribal Research Institutes from Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Meghalaya, Adi Vaani aims to digitize endangered languages and enhance access to education, healthcare, governance, and entrepreneurship in native tongues.
The launch event, held at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi as part of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh celebrations, featured a live demonstration of real-time translations in Bhili and Gondi. The platform currently supports Santali, Bhili, Mundari, and Gondi, with Kui and Garo under development. It offers text, speech, and OCR translation between Hindi, English, and tribal languages, along with interactive learning modules, digitized folklore, and subtitled advisories including government messages and health information.
Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey emphasized that language is the foundation of cultural identity and Adi Vaani will bridge communication gaps for tribal communities, empower youth, and support last-mile service delivery under the Adi Karmayogi framework. Secretary Vibhu Nayar described the platform as a frugal innovation developed at one-tenth the cost of commercial tools, integrating authentic linguistic data collected by State Tribal Research Institutes and designed for continuous improvement through community feedback.
Director of IIT Delhi Ranjan Banerjee stated that Adi Vaani demonstrates how artificial intelligence can preserve languages and traditions while delivering meaningful impact. Joint Secretary Anant Prakash Pandey highlighted that loss of language leads to erosion of culture and heritage, and Adi Vaani represents a collaborative, low-cost, high-impact solution to reverse that trend.
Adi Vaani aligns with national missions including Digital India, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, PM JANMAN, Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan, and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan. It is expected to empower over 2 million tribal change leaders and serve as a global model for low-resource language preservation. The platform is available at https://adivaani.tribal.gov.in, with the beta version of the mobile app to be released soon.
