Adi Vaani

Why in News :

Recently, The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the Beta Version of Adi Vaani, India’s first AI-powered translation platform for tribal languages. The launch event was organized at New Delhi, as part of the celebrations of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh (JJGV).

What is Adi Vaani :

• Adi Vaani is not just an AI powered translation tool but a platform to connect communities and preserve cultural identity.
• The initiative will support digitization of endangered languages, improve access to education, healthcare and governance in native languages, facilitate tribal entrepreneurship, and serve as a knowledge resource for researchers.
• Adi Vaani has been developed by a national consortium led by IIT Delhi, in collaboration with BITS Pilani, IIIT Hyderabad, IIIT Nava Raipur, and the Tribal Research Institutes of Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Meghalaya.

Objectives:

• Enable real-time translation (text and speech) between Hindi/English and tribal languages.
• Provide interactive language learning for students and early learners.
• Digitally preserve folklore, oral traditions, and cultural heritage.
• Support digital literacy, healthcare communication, and civic inclusion in tribal communities.
• Awareness on govt. schemes and important speeches

Scope & Languages :

• In its Beta launch, Adi Vaani supports: Santali (Odisha), Bhili (Madhya Pradesh), Mundari (Jharkhand), Gondi (Chhattisgarh)
• Additional languages including Kui and Garo are under development for the next phase.

Methodology & Features :

• AI Language Models:Refined deployment of models such as No Language Left Behind (NLLB) and IndicTrans2 for low-resource tribal languages.
• Community Participation:TRIs, experts, and communities are involved in data collection, validation, and iterative development.
• Functional Toolkit:
• Text-to-Text, Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, Speech-to-Speech translations.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for digitizing manuscripts and primers.
• Bilingual dictionaries and curated repositories.
• Subtitles for Prime Minister’s speeches, health advisories (e.g., Sickle Cell Disease awareness), and information on government schemes and initiatives in tribal languages.

Importance :

• The initiative will support digitization of endangered languages.
• Improve access to education, healthcare and governance in native languages.
• Facilitate tribal entrepreneurship, and serve as a knowledge resource for researchers.
• It will help bridge communication gaps for tribal communities residing in remote areas.
• Empower tribal youth digitally, and support last-mile delivery of services under the Adi Karmayogi framework.
• The platform sets a pioneering global model for low-resource language preservation.
• This initiative strengthens India’s constitutional values of cultural diversity and equity while advancing flagship national missions, including Digital India, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, and PM JANMAN.

India’s Linguistic Landscape :

• India is home to 461 tribal languages spoken by Scheduled Tribes and 71 distinct tribal mother tongues (Census of India, 2011).
• Among these, 81 languages are vulnerable and 42 are critically
• Many face the risk of extinction due to limited documentation and intergenerational transmission gaps.