Digital India BHASHINI Division and Kathmandu University Explore Collaboration in Language AI

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, conducted an interactive session at Kathmandu University with the University's Center for Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI) team, followed by a meeting with the Vice Chancellor. The engagement focused on exploring opportunities for joint collaboration in Language AI, with a shared interest in strengthening language technologies for Nepal.
Discussions highlighted the opportunity to strengthen existing language models while also creating new models for languages that remain underrepresented in AI. Particular attention was given to Nepali, Newari, Tamang and Gurung, along with traditional scripts including Prachalit Lipi and Ranjana Lipi, recognising the importance of taking Nepal's linguistic diversity into the digital and AI ecosystem.
A key part of the conversation centred on the language data challenge. Building high-quality, representative datasets requires sustained collection and curation across languages, speakers and scripts. The discussion also touched upon improving translation capabilities and addressing the computing requirements needed to train, refine and scale language models.
The engagement also looked beyond model development towards real-world deployment, including the potential for voice-first solutions. The focus was on connecting language data, models and technology with applications that can create meaningful digital experiences in local languages.