In a bid to improve the nourishment level of tribal children of Gadchiroli, a district in Maharashtra, India, officials have installed a unique Artificial Intelligence-based machine at Todsa Ashram School in Etapalli. The machine, without any human intervention, can take a photo of the student having their plate of food and quickly identify if the quality of the food is good.
This campaign, a pilot project that has been started in the Todsa Ashram School in Etapalli Tehsil of Gadchiroli district, is part of the larger goal of the Maharashtra government to eliminate malnutrition in the villages of the state. The students in the tribal areas are given residential education in the ashram school run by the government, and food is provided with the hope that it is nutritious. Yet, children in these areas continue to suffer from malnourishment.
In order to tackle this issue, an NGO is offering assistance through the Integrated Tribal Development Project of the Government of Maharashtra, supported by Udyog Yantra start-up. The start-up developed a machine based on artificial intelligence that has been installed in the Todsa Ashram school. The machine was trained with local data and the food of the tribal area and its quantity.
Every day, when the students receive their food, they need to stand in front of the installed machine with their plate of food. The machine will then take a photo and in a few seconds, will identify the student the food is for and whether the food is sufficient. Additionally, the machine will identify if the same plate of food is being presented repeatedly.
According to Shubham Gupta, the Assistant Collector of Etapalli and Project Director of the Integrated Tribal Development Project, the campaign has enabled improvement in the quality of food and nutrition intake of the children. He said, “We are getting very good results, the quality of food has improved in the last six months, as well as the nutritional intake, protein, carbohydrate, overall indicators, and BMI of the children are also improving.”
The Artificial Intelligence-based machine developed at Udyog Yantra start-up is helping Maharashtra government create better nutrition and educational opportunities for the tribal children in an automated and efficient way. Udyog Yantra wants to bridge the gap between needs and resources in the villages of India by showcasing ancient traditional knowledge with modern technology. The start-up has a goal to make farmers, craftsmen, students, and youth of the country more digitally empowered.
Similarly, the person mentioned in this article, Shubham Gupta, is the Assistant Collector of Etapalli and the Project Director of the Integrated Tribal Development Project. He works towards improving the quality of food and nourishment of tribal children in a number of ways. His campaign has brought meaningful benefits to the children by utilizing modern technology and traditional knowledge with remarkable results.
