MeitY and NIXI Launch BhashaNet Portal at Universal Acceptance Day Event

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) have unveiled the BhashaNet portal during the Universal Acceptance Day event held today. This significant initiative, supported by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), marks a major step forward in advancing digital inclusion and promoting Universal Acceptance across India.

Themed “BhashaNet: Impetus Towards Universal Acceptance,” the event underscores MeitY/NIXI’s steadfast commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of linguistic or textual barriers, can fully engage in the digital realm. The event featured interactive panel discussions and workshops with representatives from Bhashini, ONDC, NIC, C-DAC Microsoft, UASG of ICANN, Data Xgen, Infibeam, ZOHO, and FICCI, sharing insights and best practices for achieving Universal Acceptance readiness. These sessions aimed to empower participants and the community at large in their efforts to ensure that applications and systems are Universal Acceptance compliant.

India’s successful hosting of the regional Universal Acceptance Day event sets the stage for the upcoming Global Universal Acceptance Day slated to be held on March 28, 2024, in Belgrade, Serbia.

In his keynote address, Secretary of MeitY, Shri S Krishnan, emphasized that Universal Acceptance is crucial for an inclusive internet that enables non-English speakers to access online resources. He highlighted the importance of “leveraging technology and collaboration to meet the needs of every user, irrespective of language or script,” and stressed India’s potential to lead in setting standards for Universal Acceptance conformance.