New Delhi: WaveX, the startup accelerator under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has launched “Kalaa Setu – Real-Time Language Tech for Bharat,” a national challenge that invites India’s top AI startups to develop scalable multilingual multimedia content generation tools.
Kalaa Setu focuses on building transformative AI solutions that can instantly convert official text into engaging video, infographic, and audio content in multiple Indian languages.
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The initiative seeks to bridge India’s digital language divide and ensure timely, localized outreach across rural and urban populations.
Kalaa Setu Challenge
Startups are challenged to submit Minimum Viable Concepts (MVCs) demonstrating capabilities in:
- Text-to-video generation with customized scenes and narration
- Text-to-graphic creation for intuitive data visualization
- Text-to-audio synthesis with natural, regionally resonant speech
Successful entries will gain access to pilot support with DD, AIR, and PIB, an MoU for full-scale development, and incubation support via the WaveX Innovation Platform. The application deadline for Kalaa Setu is July 30, 2025, and entries must be submitted via the WaveX Portal.
In parallel, WaveX continues to accept entries for its “Bhasha Setu” challenge—focused on real-time AI-based language translation – until July 22, 2025.
“AI is pivotal to transforming how India communicates. With Kalaa Setu and Bhasha Setu, we are enabling grassroots innovation that can deliver real-time, inclusive, and regionally contextualized content to every citizen,” said a WaveX spokesperson.
These challenges are aligned with the Government of India’s broader vision of building a digitally inclusive, multilingual governance ecosystem, and fostering a thriving AI-led startup landscape in media and communication.
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WaveX is a flagship startup accelerator under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’s WAVES initiative, launched to catalyze innovation in media, entertainment, and language technologies.
WaveX supports early-stage startups through targeted hackathons, seed support, government integration, and scale-up opportunities. Over 30 startups have already pitched at the recent WAVES 2025 Summit in Mumbai.
