Campaign Begins with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s Voice Clip in Kumaoni
Modern Technology Essential for Preservation and Promotion of Regional Languages: CM
Dehradun, October 2026 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday launched a voice collection portal for the Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari regional languages under the ‘Bhasha AI’ initiative developed by the AI Strategic Engineering (AiSE) Foundation. The launch took place at the Chief Minister’s Camp Office, with the campaign beginning with a voice clip recorded by Dhami in Kumaoni.
The initiative aims to connect Uttarakhand’s regional languages with artificial intelligence (AI) to preserve and promote them and expand their use across digital platforms.
Appreciating the AiSE Foundation’s initiative, Dhami said local languages and dialects were an integral part of people’s identity. Modern technology must be used to preserve this identity, along with folk art, culture and traditions, he said.
The Chief Minister noted that the use of artificial intelligence was growing rapidly and its scope would expand further in the coming years. Regional languages must therefore evolve in line with technological advancements so that the country’s rich linguistic heritage receives global recognition.
Dhami said the state government wanted people living in remote villages and areas of Uttarakhand to be able to access information about government schemes in their own languages and communicate their concerns to the government with ease.
For this to become possible, AI systems must be able to understand local languages accurately, he said. A comprehensive collection of regional words must be developed, along with recordings capturing their correct pronunciation and distinctive speaking styles. This would enable AI systems to understand local languages better and provide people with accurate information in their mother tongues.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the same word could be pronounced differently across various parts of Uttarakhand. Uploading information through the portal would help AI systems recognise regional vocabulary, variations in pronunciation and different speaking styles.
He expressed confidence that the initiative would play an important role not only in preserving the state’s regional languages but also in connecting future generations with their folk art, culture and traditions. He extended his best wishes to everyone associated with the project.
Jagar Academy to Help Preserve Linguistic Authenticity
Padma Shri awardee and folk singer Pritam Bhartrwan said Uttarakhand’s regional languages carried a rich heritage of folk life, folk songs, Jagar traditions and cultural practices. The Jagar Academy would support the initiative by helping preserve accurate pronunciation and the originality of these languages, he said.
AiSE Foundation founder Sachidanand Semwal said the ‘Bhasha AI’ initiative was compiling words and voice recordings in Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari. The objective was to enable AI-based technologies to communicate in these regional languages in the future.
Shakti Prasad Bhatt, Gajendra Nautiyal, Anirudh Raithwan, Nidhi Semwal, Anil Godiyal, Dr J.K. Pandey, Dev Raturi and other dignitaries were present at the launch.
