MIB launches 'Kalaa Setu' AI challenge; invites startups to build content-generation tools
The initiative is being executed under the government’s WaveX Startup Accelerator Platform and aims to leverage artificial intelligence for citizen-centric outreach.
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The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has launched the “Kalaa Setu – Real-Time Language Tech for Bharat” Challenge, inviting AI startups across the country to develop scalable content-generation tools in multiple Indian languages. The initiative is being executed under the government’s WaveX Startup Accelerator Platform and aims to leverage artificial intelligence for citizen-centric outreach.
As India’s digital governance footprint expands rapidly, the ability to communicate instantly, accurately and in local languages has become crucial, especially in sectors like public health, agriculture, education and welfare. Traditional content creation methods are struggling to keep pace with the increasing demand for multilingual, multimedia content delivery at scale. Kalaa Setu seeks to address this challenge head-on.
The nationwide challenge encourages startups to develop AI tools in three core areas:
- Text-to-Video Generation: Enabling automatic creation of video content from textual inputs, with customizable tone, visuals and subjects suited to regional contexts. - Text-to-Graphics Generation: Generating infographics and visual content that simplifies complex information for easy understanding. - Text-to-Audio Generation: Producing natural, emotionally expressive voiceovers using advanced AI voice synthesis that can reflect regional accents and dialects.
These solutions are expected to aid government bodies like All India Radio, Doordarshan and the Press Information Bureau in dynamically converting official information into audio, video, or visual formats that resonate with diverse audiences.
Alongside Kalaa Setu, the ‘Bhasha Setu’ Real-Time Translation Challenge, launched on June 30, is also accepting applications until July 22, 2025. This parallel initiative aims to build AI-powered systems for real-time language translation, further reinforcing the government’s multilingual outreach goals.
