New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday that Adi-Vaani, an AI-powered translation platform, is being used for the documentation and digitalization of tribal languages across India.
Currently, the platform supports the following languages: Santali (Odisha), Gondi (Chhattisgarh), Mundari (Jharkhand), and Bhili (Madhya Pradesh), Uikey said.
Two more languages, Kui (Odisha) and Garo (Meghalaya), are in the development phase. In the second phase of the project, the government proposes to include seven additional languages: Katkari (Maharashtra), Koya (Andhra Pradesh), Kokborok (Tripura), Betta Kuruba (Karnataka), Thodou Kuki and Tangkhul (Manipur), and Chodri (Gujarat), according to an official statement.
Uikey highlighted that tribal languages and cultural traditions are under pressure due to modernization and socio-economic changes. The Adi-Vaani project aims to document, preserve, and provide digital access to these languages in a phased manner.
Documentation activities will be coordinated with State Tribal Research Institutes, and timelines will depend on collaboration with local communities and the scope of fieldwork.
The initiative seeks to progressively expand coverage to additional tribal languages across the country.
