Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has marked a major step forward in digital language technology with the launch of a bilingual Mobile OCR App capable of accurately recognizing both Gurmukhi and English text. The app was developed by Dr. Pushpinder Singh, Assistant Professor in GNDU’s Department of Computer Science, as part of his Ph.D. research at Punjabi University Patiala. The project has been released under the Government of India’s Bhashini Mission, led by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The app was officially unveiled during a special ceremony at Punjabi University Patiala, which also introduced two additional accessibility-focused applications — Drishti Library and Drishti Dot. Together, these initiatives aim to improve digital accessibility, particularly for visually impaired users.
The newly developed OCR app enables users to capture printed Punjabi (Gurmukhi) and English text from books, documents, or images and convert it into editable digital content. This tool will be especially useful for students, researchers, journalists, government departments, and visually impaired individuals, with future plans for integration with Text-to-Speech and Braille systems.
GNDU Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Karamjeet Singh congratulated Dr. Pushpinder Singh, stating that the innovation strengthens Punjabi language technology and promotes greater inclusion in the digital world.
