Why in NEWS
India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Anganwadi was launched in Waddhamna village, Nagpur (Maharashtra), marking a major stride in bridging the rural-urban digital divide in early childhood care and education.
KEY CONCEPTS/TERMS
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Anganwadi | Government-run child care centres under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). |
| Poshan Tracker | Real-time digital tool to monitor nutrition delivery and growth of children. |
| BharatGen | Multimodal AI model to enhance language and vision-based service delivery. |
| SUPACE | AI portal by Supreme Court to assist legal research and reduce judicial backlog. |
| Farm Vibes | AI-based farming model for irrigation, crop productivity and input optimization. |
| Digital India BHASHINI | Language translation platform enabling public services in local languages. |
| MuleHunter.ai | AI tool by RBI to detect financial fraud via mule accounts. |
HOW AI IS REVOLUTIONIZING PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN INDIA
| Sector | AI Integration & Impact |
|---|---|
| Early Child Care | Maharashtra’s AI Anganwadi uses Poshan Tracker to monitor nutrition, predicts malnutrition risks, uses VR, smart boards for learning. |
| Governance | Shift from uniform to tailored services through AI. BharatGen improves multilingual service delivery. |
| Event Management | Mahakumbh 2025 used AI for crowd control and chatbot assistance in multiple languages. |
| Welfare Schemes | AI tools analyze poverty, health, and education data to ensure targeted benefits. |
| Accessibility | Platforms like BHASHINI and Sarvam-1 break language barriers and enhance inclusion. |
| Law & Order | Delhi Police uses Facial Recognition for tracking missing persons. SUPACE supports judges in faster research. |
| Agriculture | Farm Vibes led to a 40% crop rise, optimized water/fertilizer use, and minimized waste. |
| Climate & Environment | Tools like GenCast improve local climate prediction. Mission Mausam strengthens flood forecasting. |
| Education | Adaptive learning via AI in DIKSHA platform. In Tripura, Aspirational Boards use AI to motivate students and reduce dropouts. |
| Urban Governance | Bengaluru’s AI traffic system cuts congestion, improves public transport efficiency. |
| Finance | AI helps detect subsidy leakages, frauds, and automates audits (e.g., MuleHunter.ai by RBI). |
| Healthcare | Centres of Excellence in AI develop predictive healthcare tools, boosting public health delivery. |
IN A NUTSHELL (Memory Code: A.I. POWERS INDIA)
- A – AI-Anganwadi starts in Nagpur
- I – Inclusive governance via BharatGen, Sarvam-1
- P – Poshan Tracker for child nutrition
- O – Optimized agriculture through Farm Vibes
- W – Weather-ready tools with Mission Mausam
- E – Education engagement via Aspirational Boards
- R – RBI’s MuleHunter.ai for fraud detection
- S – SUPACE for faster legal research
PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS
- Which of the following statements regarding India’s first AI-powered Anganwadi is correct?
A. It was launched in Pune district.
B. It integrates with the BHASHINI platform.
C. It uses AI tools to monitor children’s nutrition and health.
D. It is run entirely by private agencies. - Consider the following pairs
1. BharatGen – AI for agriculture
2. SUPACE – AI in judiciary
3. BHASHINI – AI for multilingual access
Which of the pairs are correctly matched?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. All of the above - With reference to AI in public service delivery, which of the following is NOT correctly matched?
A. Farm Vibes – Predictive healthcare
B. MuleHunter.ai – Financial fraud detection
C. Aspirational Boards – AI-based educational engagement
D. ATCS – AI-driven urban traffic management
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS
- Discuss the role of Artificial Intelligence in transforming public service delivery in India. Substantiate with recent examples. 10 Marks (GS2 – Governance)
- How can AI integration enhance efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity in India’s welfare delivery mechanisms? Suggest policy reforms. 10 Marks (GS2 – Government Policies & Interventions)
PRELIMS ANSWER KEY
| Q No. | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | The AI-Anganwadi monitors nutrition via Poshan Tracker. |
| 2 | B | BharatGen is for language/multimodal AI, not agriculture. |
| 3 | A | Farm Vibes is related to agriculture, not healthcare. |
