In March 2025, the Lok Sabha (LS)Secretariat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered solution named ‘Sansad Bhashini’ which will provide comprehensive In-House AI solutions for multi-lingual support and streamlined processes in parliamentary operations.
- Both entities have agreed to integrate and collaboratively develop AI products/tools using the Parliamentary corpus data.
- As per the MoU, LS will provide parliamentary data and resources, which will be used for learning the AI tools/products while; Bhashini (BHASHa INterface for India) will provide translation capabilities and technical expertise.
Key Dignitaries: Gaurav Goyal, Joint Secretary of LS Secretariat signed the MoU on behalf of LS (Lower House of the Parliament) in the presence of Om Birla, Lok Sabha Speaker and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MeitY.
Key Initiatives under Sansad Bhashini:
i.AI-based translation: This will ensure smooth translation of legacy debate documents, agenda files, and other parliamentary content into regional languages.
ii.AI-powered Chatbot for Parliament Website: It is a state-of-the-art interactive chatbot that will guide members and officials in retrieving important procedural rules and documents.
iii.Speech-to-Text Conversion & Live Interpretation: This system will translate spoken debates into text with real transcription. It will be available in Indian languages, thus ensuring that debates are easily recorded, accessed and referenced.
iv.Speech-to-Speech Conversion with real-time transcription: This initiative will allow real-time speech conversion and translation, ensuring that discussions and debates are instantly available in various languages.
- It will also provide automatic summarization of lengthy discussions, to facilitate instant decision-making and enhanced record-keeping.
MeitY & DFI Launched NIDAR under SwaYaan Initiative
In March 2025, the MeitY in partnership with New Delhi (Delhi)-based Drone Federation India (DFI) launched the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR) under the ‘SwaYaan–Capacity Building for Human Resource Development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UAS)’ initiative, during an event held at Electronics Niketan in New Delhi, Delhi.
- S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY has formally inaugurated this challenge, and has also launched the website and registration portal (https://nidar.org.in/), released the NIDAR Poster and Rule Book.
- He further underscored that this challenge will contribute to India’s vision of becoming a global drone hub by 2030.
About NIDAR:
i.This program aims to encourage and engage India’s students and research communities to develop collaborative independent drones to address real-world challenges across two important domains: disaster management (scout & deliver drones) and precision agriculture (scan & spray drones).
ii.Apart from offering a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs, the challenge will also provide opportunities for startup incubation, cloud credits, software support, and internships with leading drone companies in India.
About SwaYaan Initiative:
i.In July 2022, MeitY approved the SwaYaan initiative, which mainly focuses on capacity building for human resource development in UAS, which includes drones and related technologies.
ii.The key target of this initiative is to train 42,560 participants, combining both formal and non-formal educational programs to create a skilled workforce in drone technology.
iii.It is being implemented through India’s 30 premier institutions: Bengaluru(Karnataka)-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), National Institute of Technologies (NITs), Pune (Maharashtra)-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C–DAC), New Delhi (Delhi)-based National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), among others.
iv.The initiative has outlined 5 key work themes: Drone Electronics, Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Algorithms Simulation, Aeromechanics, Drone Applications, and Allied UAS Technologies.
- So far, under this initiative, more than 14,000 beneficiaries have been trained in drone technology.
About Drone Federation India (DFI):
It is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led body that promotes building a safer and scalable unmanned aviation industry in India.
President- Smit Shah
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Founded- 2017
