India Set to Lead Global Creative Economy with AI-Powered Innovation: I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju

Ministry launches Kalaa Setu and Bhasha Setu challenges via WaveX platform to empower inclusive, multilingual communication through AI

Hyderabad, July 17, 2025 – In a significant move to transform India into a global leader in the creative economy, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence to support inclusive, multilingual communication. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry, announced a nationwide call for AI-based solutions during a meeting held at the T-Hub innovation hub in Hyderabad.

The event brought together representatives from IIT Hyderabad, NITs, engineering institutions, and AI/ML-based startups. Jaju highlighted the Prime Minister’s vision for strengthening India’s creator economy and emphasized the role of innovation in bridging linguistic divides.

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He introduced the WaveX Startup Accelerator Platform, a government-backed initiative to nurture innovation in media, entertainment, and language technologies. Under this initiative, two major challenges — ‘Kalaa Setu’ and ‘Bhasha Setu’ — have been launched.

‘Kalaa Setu’ focuses on developing AI-powered tools to support the Indian creative sector.
‘Bhasha Setu’ seeks innovative AI solutions to bridge India’s linguistic diversity and promote seamless communication.

Startups across India are invited to register through the WaveX portal at wavex.wavesbazaar.com. The shortlisted teams will present their solutions before a national jury in New Delhi. Winners will receive pilot support through All India Radio (AIR), Doordarshan (DD), and the Press Information Bureau (PIB), along with incubation support under the WaveX Innovation Platform.

The WaveX platform, launched as part of the Ministry’s WAVES initiative, is designed to provide mentorship, hackathons, and investor engagement opportunities to cutting-edge startups. At the WAVES Summit in Mumbai (May 2025), over 30 startups showcased solutions directly to government and private stakeholders.

Jaju urged India’s most promising AI startups to take part in this national effort to build a culturally rich, digitally empowered, and linguistically inclusive India.