Context: The state government of Maharashtra has recently launched India’s first AI-powered Anganwadi in Waddhamna village, Nagpur district, Maharashtra.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Can be used as an argument/ example to show positive developments in the Early Childhood Education & Health landscape in India.
India’s First AI-Powered Anganwadi Centre
- The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide for rural children as well as attract more children. It ensures that children from remote areas could learn in a modern, engaging environment.
- The Anganwadi centre uses VR headsets from Meta, AI-enabled interactive smart boards, tablets, and other digital content to learn poems, songs, and fundamental concepts. The children can now draw on the interactive smart board, learn about animals via VR sets, and save their artwork digitally.
- The AI system monitors each child’s progress with gamified learning tools, adjusting difficulty levels based on response times to ensure individual development.
- The Anganwadi workers have been trained in smart learning methods. They will also be trained in generative AI tools to create new content such as text, images, and music.
Plans are underway to expand the project to more anganwadis in the state, closely track physical and cognitive developments, and use AI tools to evaluate nutrition as well.
About Anganwadi Services
- Anganwadi means ‘courtyard shelter’, a type of rural child care centre in India. The Anganwadi Services Scheme (ACS) was started in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program to combat child hunger and malnutrition.
- ACS was restructured as Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, a centrally sponsored scheme under the Ministry of women and child development.
- The Integrated Nutrition Support Programme provides early childhood care and development of the beneficiaries i.e., children in the age group of 0-6 years, address malnutrition in children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through a large network of Anganwadi workers and Helpers.
- Anganwadi workers and Helpers are the basic functionaries of the ICDS, who run the Anganwadi Centres, and implement the ICDS scheme.
- Anganwadi Centres: Provide a platform for rendering all services under the scheme.
- A single Anganwadi worker, chosen from the community, manages one village or area. These workers undergo training in various areas such as health, nutrition, and childcare.
Also Read: Anganwadi Services