AI Machine Introduced In Maharashtra Tribal School To Ensure Safe, Nutritious Meals

By Jitendra Jangid Apr 25, 2023, 10:04 IST

$Artificial Intelligence (AI) is slowly entering human lives and revolutionising them. Who could have thought that artificial intelligence can also determine the nutritional level of foods served to the tribal students? Lately in Maharashtra, an AI-empowered machine installed at Todsa Ashram School of Etapalli aims to improve the nutritional level of tribal children of Gadchiroli. Within a fraction of a second, the machine determines the nutritional status of the food served. The AI-based machine takes a photo of the student with her/his plate of food and without any human intervention, identifies the quality of the food. If installed across the country, it can be a game changer for India to improve its ranking in food security parameters. The initiative covers eight tribal schools in Maharashtra and is under Project Bhamragad. Speaking with ANI, Shubham Gupta, Assistant Collector of Etapalli and Project Director of Integrated Tribal Development Project said, “Under project Bhamragad, there are eight govt schools. When I used to come to this all-girls Ashram School, I used to feel that they lack nutrition. When we had a preliminary BMI analysis, we found that 61 girls out of the 222 were malnourished. Meals are provided here thrice a day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The quantity of the food is up to the mark, and we also follow the menu. So, we wanted to ascertain the cause." #WATCH | Maharashtra: In a bid to improve the nutrition level of tribal children of Gadchiroli, a unique Artificial Intelligence-based machine has been installed at Todsa Ashram School of Etapalli. The machine takes a photo of the student with her/his plate of food and within a… pic.twitter.com/b8zgytArBp— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2023 Since the establishment of the AI machine, the quality of the food is increased and children’s BMI has also improved said the project director. Describing further this initiative, Shubham Gupta with the help of an NGO deployed this AI machine in one of the government-aided schools and tried to implement improvement both in quantity and quality. The assistant collector said “We have installed it in one of the 8 Ashram Schools so far. The results are very positive. We installed it in September 2022. The quality of food has improved since then and children’s BMI has also improved."$

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gradually making its way into human life, transforming it in unimaginable ways. An incredible example of this is an AI-powered machine installed at Todsa Ashram School in Etapalli, Maharashtra, which has the ability to determine the nutritional value of food served to tribal students. In a fraction of a second, the machine analyzes the nutritional status of the food by taking a picture of the student with their plate of food, without requiring any human intervention.

If implemented across the country, this technology has the potential to revolutionize India's food security parameters, elevating the country's ranking in this field. The project, named Project Bhamragad, covers eight tribal schools in Maharashtra, and has been initiated to improve the nutritional levels of the tribal children of Gadchiroli.

Shubham Gupta, Assistant Collector of Etapalli and Project Director of Integrated Tribal Development Project, expressed his concern for the lack of nutrition in the all-girls Ashram School, which was evident from the preliminary BMI analysis conducted. Out of 222 students, 61 were found to be malnourished. Although the quantity and menu of food served were up to the mark, the cause of malnourishment was still unknown.

With the help of an NGO, the AI machine was deployed in one of the government-aided schools, and positive results were observed since its installation in September 2022. The quality of food served had improved, and the children's BMI had also increased. Gupta expressed his optimism regarding the successful implementation of this project in the remaining seven schools, which would ensure that every child receives the required amount of nutrition, essential for their growth and development. A video released by ANI further elaborated on this unique and innovative technology, which is a significant step towards a healthier and more sustainable future for India.

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