Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Today, a five-day Training-cum-Workshop on “AI for Growth Monitoring: Development of an AI Tool for Child Anthropometry” was inaugurated, marking a significant step in utilizing AI for better child health. The event was opened by Shubha Sarma, Principal Secretary, Women & Child Development Department, Government of Odisha, and took place in the ICMR Auditorium Hall in Bhubaneswar. N.C. Jyotiranjan Nayak, Additional Secretary, Women & Child Development Department; Dr. Makarand Tapaswi, Lead Investigator from Wadhwani AI; Dr. Subhendu Kumar Acharya, Scientist-D, ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar; Dr. Sneha Nikam, National Program Lead, Wadhwani AI; and Dr. Sanghamitra Pati, Director, ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar & Additional Director General, ICMR Delhi, graced the inaugural session.
On this occasion, the dignitaries collaborated to introduce a thorough training package that would help field teams gather the vital data needed to construct the AI tool. The Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), Government of India; Wadhwani AI; ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar; and Poshan Abhiyaan, Government of India, are all partners in this cooperative project. Its goal is to develop an AI-based system that would improve the efficiency and precision of anthropometric assessments performed by Anganwadi Workers (AWWs).
The suggested AI application would use brief videos taken by AWWs using simple cellphones to automatically record key kid anthropometric data, such as height, weight, head circumference, and chest circumference. By improving evaluation efficiency and accuracy, this novel strategy seeks to support early malnutrition identification and intervention. Building on its proven track record of putting effective child health measures into action, Odisha has become the first state in India to launch this important study. It is anticipated that other states like Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan would do the same.
Field investigators will get in-depth practical instruction on assessing important development markers using established techniques during the five-day program. The courses will be led by trainers from Wadhwani AI, ICMR-RMRC Bhubaneswar, and ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). In order to gather data for the pilot assessment and tool development, investigators will conduct a 3- to 4-month data collecting phase in the districts of Balasore, Cuttack, Ganjam, Jajpur, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj after the workshop.
