An MoU was signed between Lok Sabha Secretariat and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) for the development of Sansad AI solution in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Minister for MEITY, Ashwini Vaishnaw. The SANSAD BHASHINI initiative is envisioned to provide comprehensive In-House AI solutions for multilingual support and streamlined processes in parliamentary operations.

Lok Sabha Secretariat and MEITY have agreed to integrate and collaboratively develop products/tools leveraging the Parliamentary corpus of data. Parliamentary data and resources, provided by Sansad, will be used for learning and fine-tuning the AI tools/products. Meanwhile, translation capabilities and other technical expertise will be contributed by Bhashini.

The key AI Initiatives under Sansad Bhashini are : 1. AI-Based Translation • Seamless translation of legacy debate documents, agenda files, committee meetings, and other parliamentary content into regional languages. • Ensuring linguistic diversity and accessibility for all citizens.

2. AI-Powered Chatbot for Parliament Website • A state-of-the-art interactive chatbot that will assist members and officials in retrieving critical procedural rules and documents. • Users will be able to receive instant, accurate responses, reducing time spent searching for crucial parliamentary rules and practices. • The chatbot will continuously learn and improve through user interactions, enhancing its efficiency over time. 3. Speech-to-Text Conversion & Live Interpretation • A revolutionary system that will convert spoken debates into text with real-time transcription. • This feature will be available in Indian languages, ensuring that debates are easily recorded, accessed, and referenced. • It will also include background noise reduction, customizable vocabulary, and efficient documentation tools for improved accuracy.

4. Speech-to-Speech Conversion with Real-Time Transcription • This initiative will enable real-time speech conversion and translation, ensuring that discussions and debates are instantly available in different languages. • Automatic summarization of lengthy discussions will facilitate quicker decision-making and improved record-keeping.

The Union Minister for MEITY, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was present on the occasion, thanked the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for his leadership and guidance for the initiative and hoped that this initiative would transform parliamentary processes through cutting-edge AI solutions. He expressed confidence that ’Sansad Bhashini’ would enhance multilingual accessibility, streamline legislative documentation, and strengthen India’s position in technology-driven governance.

Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary-General, Lok Sabha was present on the occasion. Gaurav Goyal, Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretarriat signed the MoU on behalf of Lok Sabha Secretariat.

News source: PIB