BHASHINI Launches VoicERA, Open Voice AI Stack for Bharat

Built on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure, VoicERA establishes a national execution layer for multilingual voice and language AI systems.

In a major boost to India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) on Tuesday launched 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, in partnership with EkStep Foundation, COSS, IIIT Bengaluru and AI4Bharat.

A National Execution Layer for Multilingual Voice AI

Built on the BHASHINI National Language Infrastructure, VoicERA establishes a national execution layer for multilingual voice and language AI systems.

The platform is designed to be:

• Open and modular

• Pluggable and interoperable

• Cloud-deployable and on-premise ready

• Secure and scalable

By modularising the voice stack, VoicERA reduces duplication of effort across departments and eliminates vendor lock-in, making it easier for public institutions and innovators to deploy voice-enabled systems.

Expanding BHASHINI from Translation to Conversational AI

With the integration of VoicERA, BHASHINI expands beyond translation and language technologies into:

• Real-time speech systems

• Conversational AI

• Multilingual telephony at population scale

This enables government departments to rapidly deploy voice-enabled citizen services across sectors such as:

• Agriculture advisories

• Education support

• Livelihood and skilling services

• Grievance redressal

• Citizen feedback systems

• Scheme discovery and welfare access

Voice as the Natural Interface for Bharat

Speaking at the launch, Shri Amitabh Nag said the initiative marks a new phase in India’s DPI evolution.

“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,” he said.

He emphasised that the 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,” he added.

Designed as a Digital Public Good

Mr. Santosh Kevlani, Voice AI Strategist associated with the initiative, described VoicERA as a digital public good for voice technologies.

“VoicERA is designed as a digital public good for voice, enabling interoperable, execution-ready deployment without reconstructing entire technology stacks,” he said.

Mr. Shankar Maruwada, Co-Founder and CEO of EkStep Foundation, noted that BHASHINI has demonstrated the power of language as DPI over the past three years, and VoicERA now extends that vision to voice at national scale.

Mr. Mitesh Kapra from IIT Madras added that the expansion will accelerate sovereign language and voice capabilities and deepen inclusive AI innovation.

Strengthening India’s Sovereign AI Infrastructure

The launch reinforces BHASHINI’s position as India’s population-scale language and voice infrastructure, enabling secure, inclusive and interoperable AI systems for next-generation public service delivery.

VoicERA is currently available for live demonstration at the BHASHINI Pavilion and the EkStep Pavilion (Hall No. 3, First Floor, Bharat Mandapam).

As India advances its AI and digital governance ecosystem, VoicERA represents a strategic shift toward voice-first public services — ensuring that digital access is not limited by literacy, language or geography.