Snapdeal, Bhashini sign MoU for digital inclusivity

Online shopping company Snapdeal has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bhashini, an Indic language initiative under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The deal aims at developing services and products focused on language translation efforts and promote digital inclusion by catering to nine vernacular languages.

"We look forward to combining Bhashini's deep expertise in language solutions with Snapdeal's robust e-commerce platform to empower individuals across diverse linguistic backgrounds," said Himanshu Chakrawarti, CEO, Snapdeal. Chakrawati also said that this partnership aligns with the company’s goal to enhance accessibility and affordability in Tier-3 and beyond.

Bhashini, a MeitY initiative was launched in 2022 under the National Language Technology Mission, BHASHINI to provide technology translation services in 22 scheduled Indian languages. Since its inception, Bhashini has worked with several stakeholders such as government, academia, startups, and other industry players – across use cases. 

In an interview with Moneycontrol, the CEO of Bhashini, Amitabh Nag said that a lot of firms have shown interest in working with Bhashini to offer their services in multiple languages. Nag highlighted that the fintech sector is a frontrunner, especially nonbank financial companies. He said that the retail sector too is showing interest in bringing inclusivity to buyers and merchants.

Notably, in March, Snapdeal founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal participated in conversational AI firm Yellow.ai’s Series A funding round. The company raised $4 million in a round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Apart from Snapdeal, other participants in the round were redBus co-founder Phanindra Sama, HyperTrack founder Kashyap Deorah, and McKinsey & Co. senior partner Anand Swaminathan, among others.