The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has allocated ₹988.6 crore to BharatGen, led by IIT Bombay, under the IndiaAI Mission to position India as a global AI leader. This initiative focuses on developing homegrown AI models that reflect the nation’s linguistic and cultural diversity. BharatGen plans to build a trillion-parameter large language model, ranking among the world’s largest, to strengthen India’s independence from foreign AI technologies and create a robust sovereign AI ecosystem.
What Is BharatGen and Its Vision?
BharatGen is a collaborative effort spearheaded by IIT Bombay along with several other institutions such as IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Mandi, IIM Indore, IIIT Delhi, and IIT Kharagpur to develop a multilingual, multimodal, and open-source sovereign AI stack to ensure available of AI technologies for everyone in the country.
The centerpiece of this project is the construction of a trillion-parameter LLM that will be utilized as a foundational model for several domains of research and applications including agriculture, healthcare, education, finance, and law. The models will enable understanding and generation of content in all 22 scheduled Indian languages to foster accessibility and inclusivity.
Why a Trillion-Parameter Model?
BharatGen’s trillion-parameter model aims to deliver a highly scalable AI system capable of handling complex tasks across multiple sectors. While end-users may not directly interact with the large model, it will generate smaller, domain-specific versions optimized for targeted applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, finance, and more. These distilled models will ensure efficient performance while retaining the advantages of large-scale training. Rishi Bal, Executive Vice President of BharatGen, emphasizes that this approach will accelerate AI adoption and practical use across India’s diverse industries.
Strategic Importance of Sovereign AI
India must focus on developing sovereign AI models to protect privacy, security, and ownership of its technological future. By building homegrown systems, the nation reduces dependence on foreign AI technologies and aligns development with national priorities and cultural values. The BharatGen initiative directly supports India’s vision of digital sovereignty while enabling citizens to use locally crafted innovations. Through multilingual and multimodal technologies, BharatGen aims to bridge the digital divide and democratize AI access, ensuring inclusivity for people across all languages and cultural backgrounds.
Collaborative Efforts and Partnerships
IIT Bombay, along with IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Mandi, IIM Indore, IIIT Delhi, and IIT Kharagpur, coordinates BharatGen to build a sovereign AI stack that is multilingual, multimodal, and open-source. The project focuses on creating a trillion-parameter LLM that will serve as a foundation for research and applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, finance, and law. BharatGen’s models will support all 22 scheduled Indian languages, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for diverse communities across the country.
Applications of BharatGen’s AI Models
BharatGen’s AI models are ready to transform multiple industries with smart solutions to India’s specific challenges. Agriculture, AI-enabled tools can support farmers with crop management and yield predictions. In healthcare, AI models can support diagnoses and treatment plans. In education, AI can support personalized learning plans and in finance, AI can lead to more informed decision-making.
By building AI models that comprehend and analyze content in all 22 scheduled Indian languages – BharatGen ensures that these technologies will be accessible to as many users as possible. This level of access is designed to support engagement and inclusion in India’s digital economy.
Challenges and Future Outlook
While the achievement is notable, there are still challenges in developing sovereign AI models. Data privacy, ethical considerations, and transparency of AI decisions (outcomes) will require ongoing efforts.
BharatGen aims to expand its AI models to cover all 22 listed languages by June 2026, according to Minister Jitendra Singh. The project focuses on building inclusivity and accessibility by supporting technology use in regional languages. By adding more languages, BharatGen strengthens India’s digital capacity and empowers diverse linguistic communities across the country.
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