When Innovation Speaks Every Language: Inside NITI Aayog’s LIPI Vision for an Inclusive Startup India

India loves to call itself a land of ideas. From village workshops to university labs, from farmlands to factory floors, innovation exists everywhere. Yet, for decades, a silent filter has decided which ideas get noticed and which don’t. That filter is language.

Today, India’s startup and innovation ecosystem—despite its scale and success—still largely speaks only one language: English. And that reality has left millions of innovators unheard.

Recognising this gap, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog has taken a decisive step to change the way innovation is accessed, supported and scaled in India. AIM has invited public feedback on its proposed Language Inclusive Program of Innovation (LIPI)—a national initiative designed to ensure that language no longer determines who gets to innovate, build and succeed.

At its heart, LIPI is not just a programme. It is a statement—that India’s innovation journey cannot be limited to the 10 per cent of its population that speaks English.

The language gap no one talks about

According to the 2011 Census, only 10.4 per cent of Indians speak English, often as a second, third or even fourth language. Yet, nearly every aspect of India’s innovation ecosystem—from pitch decks and incubation programmes to compliance processes and investor conversations—is conducted almost entirely in English.

The result is a systemic exclusion of nearly 90 per cent of the population, including grassroots innovators, artisans, farmers, tribal entrepreneurs, rural micro-business owners and traditional knowledge holders. These are individuals who innovate daily, solve real-world problems and build livelihoods—but do so in their mother tongues.

For many of them, the barrier isn’t lack of ideas or ambition. It’s the inability to navigate an ecosystem that does not speak their language.

Turning diversity into an advantage

India’s linguistic diversity is unparalleled. The country officially recognises 22 scheduled languages, has more than 120 major languages, and over 270 mother tongues. Instead of viewing this diversity as a challenge, LIPI aims to transform it into a strategic strength.

Designed by AIM, LIPI envisions an innovation ecosystem where ideas can move seamlessly from concept to enterprise—regardless of the language they originate in. The goal is simple but powerful: ensure that language never becomes a reason for exclusion in the innovation journey.

Supporting innovators from idea to enterprise

LIPI is structured to support innovators across the entire innovation lifecycle. This includes ideation, solution design, mentorship, incubation, access to funding, market linkages and regulatory compliance.

While India already has incubators, accelerators and support institutions for each of these stages, most of them operate exclusively in English. LIPI seeks to bridge this gap by building ecosystem-wide capacity to deliver these services in all 22 scheduled Indian languages.

This means incubators mentoring founders in regional languages, compliance guidance available in vernacular formats, pitch preparation support that doesn’t require fluency in English, and investment conversations that are culturally and linguistically contextual.

More than translation, inclusion by design

A key aspect of LIPI is that it goes far beyond translation. The programme focuses on creating systems that are inclusive by design.

Innovators will be able to learn modern innovation tools—such as design thinking and problem-solving methodologies—in their own languages. This allows them to build solutions rooted in local realities, cultural understanding and lived experiences.

LIPI also aims to connect innovators with vernacular investors and local businesses, many of whom contribute significantly to India’s economy but remain outside the formal startup framework simply because they operate in regional languages.

Over the past year, AIM has already laid the groundwork by training a cohort of facilitators in each of the 22 scheduled languages. These facilitators are equipped to teach design thinking and innovation methodologies in regional languages, creating a foundation for a truly multilingual innovation ecosystem.

Not English versus Indian languages

Importantly, LIPI does not position Indian languages against English. Instead, it follows a principle of true inclusion—where innovators can choose the language they are most comfortable with.

The initiative seeks to contextualise innovation to language and culture, promote sustainable growth of vernacular enterprises, and celebrate India’s linguistic diversity as a national asset. English remains a global bridge, but it will no longer be the only doorway into innovation.

Inviting the ecosystem to co-create LIPI

As part of the consultation process, AIM has invited stakeholders to share inputs on several critical aspects of the programme. These include the structure and governance of proposed LIPI Centres, incentive mechanisms for incubators and universities to adopt the framework, strategies to identify and retain high-quality vernacular mentors, and ways to integrate or scale existing language-based innovation initiatives.

Stakeholders are also encouraged to flag potential challenges, suggest implementation models and propose ideas that can make the innovation ecosystem genuinely inclusive.

Individuals, educational institutions, incubators, NGOs, industry bodies, and state and central government organisations can submit their feedback through the official consultation form by 10 January 2026. AIM has stated that a consolidated summary of feedback, along with its responses, will be made public after the consultation concludes.

A vision of innovation that belongs to all

At its core, LIPI is about dignity and access. AIM has emphasised that India’s ambition to become a global innovation leader will only be fulfilled when innovation is not limited by language.

When a potter in Kachchh can file a patent in her own bhasha.
When a weaver in Chanderi can access markets without linguistic hurdles.
When a bamboo technologist in Tripura can raise capital confidently.
When a herbal healer in Jharkhand can protect and scale traditional knowledge.

With LIPI, India takes a meaningful step towards building an innovation ecosystem that truly reflects its people—diverse, rooted, and full of ideas. An ecosystem where innovation doesn’t just speak English, but speaks India.