India launches BharatGen, the world’s first government-funded multi-modal LLM project

India just launched BharatGen project, a pioneering initiative to develop generative artificial intelligence in Indian languages. This state-funded project is being spearheaded by IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).

BharatGen has the distinction of being the world’s first government-funded multimodal large language model project. It aims to create high-quality text-based and multimodal content in various Indian languages, making AI more accessible and inclusive. The project will benefit government, private, educational and research institutions and is expected to be completed in two years.

AtmaNirbhar Bharat, promoting Indian languages ​​and social equality

Using generative artificial intelligence, the BharatGen project can help preserve and promote India’s rich linguistic diversity. This initiative not only supports cultural heritage, but also ensures that technological advances are inclusive and accessible to a wider population.

BharatGen is aligned with the vision Atmanirbhar Bharat by building core AI models tailored specifically for India. By developing AI technologies in India, BharatGen reduces dependence on foreign technologies and strengthens the country’s AI ecosystem for startups, industries and government agencies.

Democratizing access to AI through foundational models and detailed technical regulations enables innovators, researchers and startups to build AI applications quickly and affordably. The core feature of BharatGen is its focus on learning that uses data effectivelyespecially for Indian languages ​​with limited digital presence. Through fundamental research and collaboration with academic institutions, the initiative will develop effective models with minimal data – an urgent need for languages ​​that is not being met by global AI initiatives. BharatGen will also support a vibrant AI research community through training programs, hackathons and collaborations with global experts.

One of the main goals of BharatGen is to provide generative AI models and applications as a public good. This means prioritizing India’s socio-cultural and linguistic diversity, while ensuring that the benefits of AI reach all sections of society.

This initiative is also in line with India’s broader goals of promoting social equality, cultural preservation and linguistic diversity through advanced artificial intelligence technologies.

Technical aspects of BharatGen.

The BharatGen project is being developed by a consortium led by IIT Bombay under National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). The project is managed by the TIH Foundation for IoT and IOE at IIT Bombay.

Several leading academic institutions including IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Mandi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIM Indore and IIT Madras are involved in this initiative.

The aim of this collaborative effort is to create generative artificial intelligence systems that can generate high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages.

BharatGen focuses on developing multimodal large language models that can handle text, speech and computer vision tasks. This means that the models will be able to understand and generate content across a variety of media types. BharatGen will be developed as open-source platform. This approach encourages collaboration and innovation, enabling researchers and developers to contribute to and benefit from the project.

The models will be built and trained using datasets specifically curated to represent Indian languages ​​and contexts. This makes AI culturally and contextually relevant.

The BharatGen roadmap outlines key milestones to July 2026. These include extensive AI model development, experimentation and establishing AI benchmarks tailored to India’s needs. BharatGen will also focus on scaling AI adoption across industries and public initiatives.