Only 44% Of Class 5 Students Can Read Class 2 Text. Telangana Turns To AI, Says Report
Hyderabad: Telangana, where only 44 per cent of Class 5 students across the country can read Class 2 texts and facing a doctor-patient ratio of 1:811 in India, is expanding the use of AI in schools and hospitals, according to the White Paper titled ‘Artificial Intelligence for All: Catalyzing Jobs, Growth and Opportunity’ published by Prosus and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The report stated that Telangana has initiated artificial intelligence education starting from primary schools and established 1,000 artificial intelligence laboratories in public high schools. The state’s EkStep adaptive learning platform covers 540 public elementary schools and is being expanded to more than 5,000 schools.
Through the CodeMitra program, public school students also receive artificial intelligence and digital learning support through partnerships with Amazon Future Engineer and Pi Jam Foundation. Another 50,000 students in 500 public schools are being taught artificial intelligence through Microsoft’s ADVANTA(I)GE initiative.
In healthcare, the government has implemented artificial intelligence diagnostics in district hospitals through an integrated health profiling system that supports e-health profiles and screening for non-communicable diseases, the White Paper said. AI-assisted lung cancer screening using chest X-ray technology has also been implemented in 20 public healthcare facilities to improve early detection, especially in underserved areas.
The White Paper highlighted agriculture as another sector where artificial intelligence is being used. Telangana’s Saagu Baagu program used Telugu-language WhatsApp recommendations, machine learning-based soil testing, quality classification and e-commerce links to support over 7,000 pepper farmers in Khammam.
According to the report, the pilot application provided a 21 percent increase in yield per acre, an 8 percent improvement in prices, a 9 percent decrease in pesticide use and a 5 percent decrease in fertilizer use. Farmers recorded additional income of around 66,000 per acre per crop cycle.
The program is currently being expanded to cover five lakh farmers across 10 regions and five crops. Telangana has also launched India’s first agriculture data exchange (ADeX) and agriculture data management framework to support AI-enabled agriculture, the White Paper said.
In manufacturing, artificial intelligence, digital twins and predictive analytics implemented under Telangana’s Manufacturing 5.0 roadmap have been linked to a 43 per cent reduction in manufacturing costs, a 30 per cent reduction in production lead times and a 41 per cent reduction in energy consumption, the report said.
Hyderabad’s AI ecosystem includes over 350 global talent hubs, over 2,000 start-ups supported by T-Hub and a proposed 200-acre AI City, which the state aims to position itself as a global AI hub by 2035.
