The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has started the second round of its AICTE-VAANI scheme. The idea behind this is to bring more technical knowledge to people in their own regional languages. They’re putting in about ₹4 crore to help fund around 200 events like conferences, workshops, and seminars — and these will happen in 22 different Indian languages across the country.
What’s AICTE-VAANI Really About?
Basically, AICTE-VAANI wants to build a strong foundation for technical knowledge in local languages, not just English or Hindi. The AICTE chairperson, Prof TG Sitharam, said it’s about making sure that new tech ideas and developments can be understood by everyone, no matter what language they speak. This also pushes for research papers and studies to be published in regional languages, which could help students and industry people work together more easily.
What’s New in the 2025 Edition?
The first time they did this (in March 2024), it covered 12 languages and 12 technical areas. Now, they’ve widened the scope quite a bit. This second edition includes 22 languages and covers 16 hot tech fields like Quantum Technology, AI and Data Science, Cybersecurity, Hydrogen Energy, Space and Defense, Agrotech, and Food Processing. It feels like they really want to keep up with the latest trends and make sure everyone can get a piece of the pie.
How to Get Support from AICTE?
AICTE is giving ₹2 lakh per conference or workshop. If your institution wants to apply, you can do it online on their ATAL portal between March 25 and April 24. They’ll pick who gets the money based on how good and relevant your event proposal is. So, it’s important to make sure your event fits well with their goals.
Why Does This Matter?
Dr Abhay Jere, the Vice Chairman of AICTE, pointed out that it’s not about the language itself but about teaching people to think critically and solve problems. Prof Nilanjana Dutta Roy from Kolkata shared how AICTE’s funding helped them hold a workshop in Bengali on AI and quantum computing earlier this year. That’s a good example of how this scheme actually helps make tech education more reachable for local communities.
All in all, this AICTE-VAANI scheme looks like a solid step to make sure technical education isn’t just for people who speak a certain language. It could open up research and learning to a lot more students and help India’s tech world become more inclusive.
