Ayush Ministry signs MoU with BHASHINI for multilingual translation of traditional knowledge systems
New Delhi, May 14
The Ministry of Ayush has signed an MoU with the Digital India BHASHINI Division under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to enable faster transcription and translation of Ayush knowledge systems into multiple Indian languages through advanced AI-powered language technology.
Under the initiative titled "BHASHINI Rajyam - A BHASHINI Sahayogi Program," the partnership aims to integrate the BHASHINI Platform, India's National Language Digital Public Infrastructure, across various digital platforms and services of the Ministry of Ayush.
Highlighting the importance of making Ayush knowledge accessible in every Indian language, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, said, "Ayush systems of medicine carry immense civilisational knowledge and cultural depth. Ensuring that this knowledge becomes accessible in every Indian language is essential for inclusive healthcare delivery and public outreach."
"Through this collaboration with BHASHINI, we aim to strengthen multilingual capabilities across the Ayush ecosystem, develop robust domain-specific terminologies, and build future-ready AI systems that can support citizens seamlessly across linguistic boundaries," he said.
The Ministry of Ayush, through the Ayush Grid initiative, is working across healthcare, capacity building, research, drug administration, and related sectors.
Several portals, applications, and AI-enabled solutions developed under Ayush Grid are proposed to be made available in all 22 scheduled languages recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India to ensure wider accessibility and outreach.
This collaboration will integrate Digital India BHASHINI's technologies across Ayush digital solutions, including Ayush Grid portals, applications, and AI tools, to strengthen multilingual accessibility and expand digital outreach across the country, said a statement.
Focused efforts will also be undertaken to develop domain-specific multilingual terminology systems, strengthen Ayush language datasets, and build contextual AI models for healthcare and wellness communication related to Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Yoga and Naturopathy, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy.
The MoU was officially signed by Dr. Subodh Kumar, Director, Ministry of Ayush, and Amitabh Nag, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Digital India BHASHINI Division.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who has studied Ayurveda in English, I can see how this would be a game-changer for practitioners and patients alike. But I hope the AI translations are accurate—Ayurvedic terminology is very specific. Losing nuance in translation could be problematic. Still, better access is always a good thing. Great initiative overall.
Finally, someone is thinking about making our ancient wisdom accessible to everyone! For too long, these knowledge systems have been locked in English or Sanskrit. Why should a grandma in a village who knows all the home remedies have to struggle to read official documents? This is inclusive development at its best. Kudos to the Ayush Ministry and BHASHINI team! 🙏
I appreciate the intent, but I'm skeptical about AI handling something as nuanced as traditional medicine. My grandmother passed down knowledge in Marathi that no machine could replicate. Also, 22 languages? That's a massive task. I hope they involve actual language experts and not just algorithms. Otherwise, it might end up being more confusing than helpful.
As an Ayurveda practitioner, this is exactly what we needed! Patients often ask me for resources in their mother tongue. Currently, most literature is in English or Hindi, which leaves out large parts of the country. If BHASHINI can accurately translate terms like 'Vata', 'Pitta', and 'Kapha' into Bengali or Tamil, that's huge. Let's hope the MoU leads to real action. 🙌
Another government MoU... hope this isn't just
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