MeitY Launches VoicERA to Power Multilingual Voice AI

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has unveiled VoicERA, an open-source, end-to-end Voice AI stack, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The initiative marks a significant step in strengthening India’s Digital Public Infrastructure for multilingual voice technologies. The launch was led by the Digital India BHASHINI Division under the Digital India Corporation, reinforcing the government’s push towards inclusive and population-scale AI systems.

National Execution Layer for Voice AI

VoicERA has been deployed directly on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure, creating a national execution layer for multilingual Voice and Language AI. Designed to be open, modular and interoperable, the platform is cloud-deployable and also suitable for on-premise installations. It enables secure and scalable deployment across government departments, research institutions and innovation ecosystems. By reducing duplication of effort and avoiding vendor lock-in, the stack accelerates development of inclusive, voice-enabled digital services.

Collaboration and Institutional Backing

The initiative was spearheaded by Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer of the Digital India BHASHINI Division, in collaboration with EkStep Foundation, the Centre for Open Source Software at IIIT Bengaluru, and AI4Bharat. The collaboration brings together public institutions, academic expertise and non-profit innovation networks to strengthen sovereign capabilities in language and voice technologies. Experts described VoicERA as a digital public good that enables interoperable, execution-ready deployment without rebuilding entire technology stacks.

Expanding BHASHINI’s Capabilities

With VoicERA, BHASHINI’s scope now extends beyond translation and text-based language tools to real-time speech systems, conversational AI and multilingual telephony at scale. Government departments can deploy voice-enabled citizen services in agriculture advisories, education support, livelihood services, grievance redressal and scheme discovery. The platform positions voice as a natural interface for public service delivery, particularly in linguistically diverse and digitally underserved regions.

Important Facts for Exams

• BHASHINI operates as India’s National Language Infrastructure under MeitY.
• VoicERA is an open-source, end-to-end Voice AI stack deployed on BHASHINI.
• The initiative promotes Digital Public Infrastructure with multilingual capability.
• It supports cloud and on-premise deployment to ensure scalability and security.

Boost to Sovereign and Inclusive AI

The launch of VoicERA reinforces India’s commitment to sovereign AI capabilities and inclusive digital governance. By integrating voice technologies into Digital Public Infrastructure, the government aims to ensure equitable access to services across sectors and regions. The framework supports secure, scalable and interoperable AI systems, positioning India at the forefront of population-scale language and voice innovation.