Through strategic partnerships between the government and industry, Maharashtra is growing leaps and bounds in its AI adoption, deriving numerous benefits for citizens of the state. Here's a glimpse into some of the best AI initiatives in Maharashtra.

• ICTAI for Rural Healthcare: In November 2018, the Government of Maharashtra signed a MoU with NITI Aayog and Wadhwani AI to establish an International Centre for Transformational Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) to focus on rural healthcare. ICTAI is aimed at capacity and capability enhancement of health workers and wellness centres. It will also focus on rural healthcare to accelerate research, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases such as cancer and tuberculosis. The centre will implement solutions related to healthcare issues based on data research and AI. Read more…
• Automatic Weather Stations: Maharashtra Agriculture Weather Information Network (Mahavedh) is a public-private partnership project on build-own-operate (BOO) basis with the weather forecasting company Skymet Weather Services Pvt. Ltd. The project is aimed to establish a network of automatic weather stations (AWS) at the rate of one AWS in every revenue circle. In October 2018, the PPP had led to an establishment of 2060 centres which uses AI and machine learning to generate farm and weather-related data for the farmers. Skymet developed a dedicated portal for data management and distribution for government officials, facilitating access and visualization of the data of any weather station. The features of the portal include user friendly design, user defined data downloading options, and easy tracking of the nature of the desired parameter for any individual day. Read more…
• Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: In January 2018, the Government of Maharashtra and World Economic Forum signed a MoU to set up ‘Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ in Mumbai. The centre was launched in October 2018 and aims to focus on three major areas which include AI, blockchain, and drones. Its first project is focused on expanding data access to accelerate AI adoption to tackle socio-economic needs such as education, healthcare, and agriculture. Read more…
• MoU with Microsoft India: In February 2018, the Government of Maharashtra signed a memorandum of understading with Microsoft India to leverage cloud-based technologies for improving citizen services and fostering entrepreneurship in the state. Microsoft India plans to work with the Maharashtra IT Corporation Ltd (MahaIT) for the development of solutions based on latest technologies such as AI, IoT, robotics, blockchain, deep learning, genomics, data analytics, and its Kaizala app in the fields of digital agriculture, and skilling and education. Read more…
• Wadhwani AI - Better Cotton Initiative: In February 2018, the Government of Maharashtra launched Wadhwani AI to develop AI related solutions in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, financial inclusion, infrastructure, and education. Wadhwani AI is a not-for-profit institute which aims to solve social problems by leveraging AI tools. The Government of Maharashtra is helping the institute with the identification of key problems, and further in testing and scaling of solutions. The institute is working on three problem areas including maternal and child health, tuberculosis care, and cotton farming. Read more…

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