By Srijita Chakraborty
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs on Monday launched the beta version of Adi Vaani, the country’s first AI-powered translator for Adivasi languages.This is an empowering move for tribal communities and amplifies the preservation of India’s linguistic diversity. Held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, the launch was presided over by Minister of State Durgadas Uikey, who claimed the initiative as a tool to “bridge communication gaps for tribal communities in remote areas and empower tribal youth digitally.”
The app as well as the website currently support translations between Hindi, English, and four tribal languages Gondi, Bhili, Mundari, and Santal. Kui and Garo and a few others are to be added in the next phase. Adi Vaani would soon be available on both Android and iOS platforms, as per officials.
The app’s ability to translate text and speech, and provide a digital platform for safeguarding tribal heritage makes it a “landmark initiative towards inclusive tribal empowerment and linguistic preservation.” Secretary of Tribal Affairs Vibhu Nayar emphasized that the initiative was developed as a “frugal innovation” at nearly one-tenth the cost of commercial platforms, with linguistic data sourced from State Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs). A built-in feedback system will allow for continuous improvement, he added.
The project is developed by a consortium of premier institutions including IIT Delhi, BITS Pilani, IIIT Hyderabad, and IIIT Naya Raipur in collaboration with TRIs in Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Meghalaya. It leverages advanced AI models such as Meta’s No Language Left Behind (NLLB) and IndicTrans2. Tribal languages, which frequently lack sufficient digital representation, were made visible through these initiatives. The platform is made to support social inclusion, cultural preservation, and interactive learning in addition to translation. It provides functions like digital repositories, bilingual dictionaries, optical character recognition (OCR) for manuscripts, speech-to-text, and speech-to-speech.
Adi Vaani is more than just a translation tool. It is a national mission to digitize tribal assets, support education and healthcare access, and promote inclusive governance. This initiative aligns with flagship programs such as Digital India and Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat the government has urged educators, cultural workers, and community leaders to take active part.