India Expands Multilingual Access to Pension Services Through BHASHINI–PFRDA Partnership
India is expanding multilingual access to pension services through a new collaboration between the Digital India BHASHINI Division and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The initiative will integrate the government’s national language AI platform with pension systems to support communication in multiple Indian languages. According to the official press release, the partnership aims to make pension services more accessible by using translation tools, voice-enabled technologies and multilingual artificial intelligence models.
Integrating language AI into pension service delivery
The agreement was signed between the Digital India BHASHINI Division, operating under the Digital India Corporation within the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. The collaboration is part of the “BHASHINI for Service/Operations – A BHASHINI Collaborative Initiative” programme.
Through this arrangement, PFRDA will integrate the BHASHINI platform into its digital systems. The integration will enable translation APIs, multilingual AI models and voice-based technologies to support communication across pension platforms and user interfaces. The goal is to strengthen language accessibility across the pension ecosystem and improve engagement with users and stakeholders.
The initiative is designed to support communication in all 22 languages recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. By enabling multilingual access, the programme aims to reduce language barriers that can limit participation in retirement planning and pension schemes.
Supporting financial inclusion through language accessibility
“पेंशन प्रणालियों के प्रभावी विस्तार के लिए भाषा संबंधी बाधाओं को दूर करना अत्यंत आवश्यक है। भाषिणी जैसे प्लेटफॉर्म हमें विविध जनसमूहों से उनकी पसंदीदा भाषाओं में जुड़ने में सक्षम बनाते हैं, जिससे संचार अधिक सुलभ और संदर्भ-आधारित हो जाता है। यह पहली बार बचत करने वाले लोगों और उन व्यक्तियों तक पहुंच बनाने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाएगा, जो भाषाई बाधाओं के कारण औपचारिक सेवानिवृत्ति योजना से बाहर रहे हैं, और इस प्रकार वित्तीय समावेशन को मज़बूती मिलेगी।” — ममता रोहित, कार्यकारी निदेशक, पीएफआरडीए
The collaboration also includes structured contributions to language datasets, which are expected to improve the performance and scalability of multilingual AI systems used in institutional settings. These efforts will take place within the broader BHASHINI collaborative framework, allowing models to be adapted to changing regional requirements.
India has been steadily expanding the use of multilingual AI to support public services and digital inclusion. Earlier initiatives have positioned the platform as a key component of the country’s language technology infrastructure, as explored in India’s national push for inclusive multilingual AI through BHASHINI.
Advancing citizen-centred digital governance
“पीएफआरडीए के साथ यह सहयोग महत्वपूर्ण वित्तीय सेवाओं में बहुभाषी और वॉइस-सक्षम पहुंच के विस्तार की दिशा में एक अहम कदम है, जिससे बड़े पैमाने पर पहुंच संभव होगा और नागरिक-केंद्रित डिजिटल शासन को हर भारतीय के करीब लाया जा सकेगा।” — अमिताभ नाग, सीईओ, डिजिटल इंडिया भाषिणी प्रभाग
BHASHINI, developed under the National Language Translation Mission, supports multilingual AI capabilities across dozens of text, voice and international languages. The platform enables translation and voice-based interaction in Indian languages, helping government and public sector services reach wider audiences.
The new partnership with PFRDA illustrates how such technologies can be applied to financial services and regulatory systems. Similar efforts are also emerging through community-driven multilingual AI initiatives in India, which aim to strengthen digital participation across diverse linguistic groups.
