IT Ministry, NIXI launch BhashaNet portal on Universal Acceptance Day

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology unveiled the BhashaNet portal on 21 March 2024. ‘BhashaNet Portal’ was unveiled in Delhi for the upcoming Universal Acceptance Day (UA Day). It was organized at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

Programme Theme:

• The theme of the event organized in Delhi is, “BhashaNet: Impetus Towards Universal Acceptance”. This theme highlights NIXI's dedication to ensuring that individuals, regardless of language or script, can fully participate in the digital world.

Event organizer:

• This is the second event organized between NIXI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This underlines their joint commitment to promote UA and advance digital inclusion across the country. Additionally, it was endorsed by the following institutions:
  • Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
  • Internet Governance Division
  • Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

NIXI and MEITY aim to:

• Through UA Day, NIXI and MeitY aim to unite stakeholders.
• To raise awareness of the importance of UA readiness in today's digital landscape.
• The event featured engaging sessions including keynote addresses, panel discussions and technical workshops led by eminent speakers from various fields.
• The discussions centered around the significance of UA and outlined the necessary measures to attain broad recognition and adoption.

Chief Guest of UA Day Programme:

• MeitY Secretary S Krishnan was the chief guest of the event. S Krishnan in his address stressed on the government's support for digital inclusivity initiatives.

About National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI):

• Established on June 19, 2003, NIXI is a non-profit company under the aegis of MeitY. It is tasked with increasing internet penetration in India by facilitating various infrastructure aspects to enable it.
• The Internet ecosystem should be managed and used by the public.
• The four services covered under NIXI are:-
  • Setting up isp,
  • .IN registry for creation of .in domain digital identity, for creation of Internet exchange points,
  • IRIN to adopt IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and
  • NIXI-CSC offers Data Center Services for Data Storage Services.

About Universal Acceptance Day (UA Day):

• UA Day is celebrated every year on 28 March. It is celebrated to promote awareness and encourage UA adoption among stakeholders.
• It aims to create an inclusive Internet that supports a wide range of languages and scripts.
• The first event of UA Day was celebrated in 2023.

About Universal Acceptance (UA):

• Currently UA is a technical requirement. It ensures that all valid domain names and email addresses, regardless of script, language or character length, can be used equally by all Internet-enabled applications, devices and systems.
• UA is important for non-English speaking countries. This ensures that everyone has the ability to experience the full power of the Internet using their chosen domain name and email address.