Snapdeal, a leading e-commerce platform, has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Digital India Bhashini, an Independent Business Division established by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) within Digital India Corporation (DIC), to address India’s diverse linguistic landscape.The MOU was signed by Bharat Venishetti of Snapdeal and Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini.
The partnership seeks to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop products and services centered around voice-first technology for nine vernacular languages. The primary objective is to bolster language translation efforts, thereby fostering greater digital accessibility across India.
Himanshu Chakrawarti, CEO of Snapdeal, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing Snapdeal’s dedication to advancing digital inclusivity in India. He highlighted the integration of Bhashini’s language expertise with Snapdeal’s robust e-commerce platform as a means to empower individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Chakrawarti underscored that the initiative resonates with Snapdeal’s mission to enhance accessibility and affordability in online shopping, particularly catering to Tier 3 cities and beyond.
Snapdeal caters to the value price segment in e-commerce, offering merchandise across categories like home, fashion, beauty, and personal care. With more than 90% of products priced under Rs. 1,000 and over 86% of orders originating from non-metro cities, Snapdeal has honed its expertise in serving mid-income users who predominantly access the Internet via mobile phones.
Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini, reiterated their commitment to leveraging technology for societal benefit, aiming to enable inclusive digital experiences for all.
Launched under the National Language Technology Mission by the Indian Prime Minister in July 2022, Bhashini aims to transcend language barriers by providing technology translation services in 22 scheduled Indian languages, ensuring citizens can access digital services in their preferred language.