Govt pushes for mobile phones with vernacular language access

Earlier this year, the govt said it was working on regulations to make it mandatory for mobile phones to support Hindi and at least one regional language

As the government steps its push to provide governance through mobile phones, the Electronics and IT Ministry has mandated smartphone manufacturers to ensure that all devices support Hindi and at least one local language.

There have already been two rounds of discussions on the matter between the Ministry and handset makers and one more round of discussion is planned soon as the manufacturers have raised some issues and difficulties.

“We have already started talking to the phone companies. We had two rounds of discussions now and they have asked for a little bit of time. What we are saying is that there should be atleast three languages but we are still firming because they pointed out some difficulties and issues and we are looking at that,” Electronics and IT Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said.

The centre and state governments have stepped up measures to provide various government to citizen services through mobile phones. But the single biggest challenge has been vernacular language support - critical to reach services to people in smaller towns and rural areas 

“Mobile governance without India language content won’t happen, so we have to,” Sundararajan said.

She added all those e-governance initiatives will reach people only if they are in local languages and that’s why its one of the priority area of the government to push local languages.

Earlier this year, a top Department of Telecom official had said the government was working on regulations to make it mandatory for mobile phones to support Hindi and at least one regional language.

The regulations were scheduled to come in 4-5 months, but it’s been delayed now because the handset manufacturers have raised some difficulties over the matter.

“We had a deadline but now since the phone companies have come back to us, we need to have one more round of discussion,” Sundararajan said.

The move by the government to make local language support a must in mobile phones is aimed making users communicate in local languages and access government services like e-payment through mobile phones.