**Executive Summary**
The Digital India BHASHINI Division, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), launched VoicERA, an open-source Voice AI stack, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. This launch, led by Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of Digital India BHASHINI Division, in collaboration with various organizations, marks a milestone in India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) journey, aiming to enable secure and scalable voice system deployment. VoicERA is available for live demonstration at the BHASHINI Pavilion and at the EkStep Pavilion, Hall No. 3, First Floor, Bharat Mandapam.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **VoicERA Launch and Purpose:**
* VoicERA is an open-source, end-to-end Voice AI stack launched at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
* It aims to establish a national execution layer for multilingual Voice and Language AI.
* It is designed to be open, pluggable, interoperable, cloud deployable, and on-premise ready.
* **Infrastructure and Functionality:**
* Deployed on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure.
* Enables secure and scalable deployment of voice systems across government, research institutions, and innovation ecosystems.
* Modularizes the voice stack to reduce duplication of effort and eliminate vendor lock-in.
* **BHASHINI Integration and Capabilities:**
* Strengthens BHASHINI's role as India's national language infrastructure.
* Expands BHASHINI's capabilities to real-time speech systems, conversational AI, and multilingual telephony.
* Facilitates rapid onboarding of voice-enabled citizen services across sectors (agriculture, education, livelihood, etc.).
* **Statements from Key Individuals:**
* Shri Amitabh Nag (Digital India BHASHINI Division): VoicERA enables secure, scalable multilingual systems, empowering innovators.
* Mr. Santosh Kevlani (Voice AI Strategist): VoicERA is designed as a digital public good for voice, enabling interoperable, execution-ready deployment.
* Mr. Shankar Maruwada (EkStep Foundation): VoicERA extends BHASHINI's vision to voice, strengthening equitable access for citizens.
* Mr. Mitesh Kapra (IIT Madras): Integration with VoicERA accelerates language and voice capabilities.
**Impact Analysis**
**Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for leading the launch and implementation of VoicERA, solidifying their role in advancing digital public infrastructure.
* **Action Required:** Oversee the deployment and maintenance of VoicERA, ensuring its effective integration with the BHASHINI platform and accessibility to relevant stakeholders.
**Government, Research Institutions, and Innovation Ecosystems**
* **Impact:** Gaining access to a secure and scalable platform for deploying voice systems, reducing duplication of effort and vendor lock-in.
* **Action Required:** Explore and adopt VoicERA to enhance public service delivery, research capabilities, and innovation in voice technology.
**Citizens**
* **Impact:** Improved access to voice-enabled citizen services in various sectors, promoting inclusivity and bridging the digital divide.
* **Action Required:** Utilize voice-enabled services powered by VoicERA to access information, support, and opportunities across different sectors.
**Innovators**
* **Impact:** Empowered to build on a shared national foundation, enabling secure, scalable multilingual systems.
* **Action Required:** Develop and deploy new voice-based applications and services leveraging the VoicERA platform, contributing to India's AI ecosystem.
Key Entities Referenced
BHASHINI: India's national language infrastructure aimed at leveraging AI for language-based services and applications.
VoicERA: An open-source voice AI stack launched under BHASHINI to enable multilingual voice and language AI applications.
Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD): The division within Digital India Corporation responsible for the BHASHINI initiative and the development of VoicERA.
Digital India Corporation (DIC): The entity under which DIBD functions.
India AI Impact Summit 2026: Location of the launch of VoicERA, indicating the forum for discussion and promotion of AI initiatives.
Ministry of Electronics & IT
VoicERA Launched on BHASHINI National
Infrastructure at India AI Impact Summit 2026
Posted On: 18 FEB 2026 6:02PM by PIB Delhi
The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation (DIC), Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), marked a major milestone in India’s Digital Public
Infrastructure (DPI) journey with the launch of VoicERA, an open source, end to end Voice AI stack, at
the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The launch was led by Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO, Digital India
BHASHINI Division with EkStep Foundation, in collaboration with COSS, IIIT Bengaluru, and
AI4Bharat.
Deployed on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure, VoicERA establishes a national
execution layer for multilingual Voice and Language AI. Designed to be open, pluggable,
interoperable, cloud deployable, and on premise ready, the platform enables secure and scalable
deployment of voice systems across government, research institutions, and innovation ecosystems. By
modularising the voice stack, it reduces duplication of effort and eliminates vendor lock in.
The integration of VoicERA strengthens BHASHINI’s role as India’s national language
infrastructure, expanding its capabilities from translation and language technologies to real time
speech systems, conversational AI, and multilingual telephony at population scale. Departments can
rapidly onboard voice enabled citizen services across sectors including agriculture advisories,
education support, livelihood services, grievance redressal, citizen feedback, and scheme discovery.
Speaking at the launch, Shri Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer, Digital India BHASHINI Division,
stated, “With BHASHINI as national language infrastructure and VoicERA as the open execution stack,
India is entering a new phase of Digital Public Infrastructure where voice becomes the most natural
interface for Bharat. This framework enables secure, scalable multilingual systems while empowering
innovators to build on a shared national foundation. It is about dignity, access, and ensuring every citizen
can speak to the State and be understood. This marks the beginning of a new Voice Era, and in this era,
India owns its voice.”
Mr Santosh Kevlani, Voice AI Strategist and Advisor associated with the initiative, stated, “VoicERA is
designed as digital public good for voice, enabling interoperable, execution ready deployment without
reconstructing entire technology stacks.”
Mr Shankar Maruwada, Co Founder and Chief Executive Officer, EkStep Foundation, stated, “Over the
past three years, BHASHINI has demonstrated the power of language as Digital Public Infrastructure.
With VoicERA, that vision now extends to voice, strengthening equitable access for citizens at national
scale.”
Mr Mitesh Kapra, IIT Madras, stated, “The continued expansion of BHASHINI, integrated with
VoicERA, will accelerate sovereign language and voice capabilities and deepen inclusive AI
innovation.”The launch further strengthens BHASHINI’s position as India’s population scale Language and Voice
Infrastructure, enabling secure, inclusive, and interoperable AI systems that power next generation
public service delivery across sectors and geographies.
VoicERA is available for live demonstration at the BHASHINI Pavilion and at the EkStep
Pavilion, Hall No. 3, First Floor, Bharat Mandapam.
****
MSZ
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