Using Blockchain, IoT to Boost Meal Programs for Schoolchildren

India, the second-most populous country in the world with over 1.2 billion people, boasts one of the fastest-growing economies bolstered by the youngest workforce in the world. While millions of dollars are spent every year on tackling malnutrition, 3,000 children die every day due to hunger. In a bid to combat this problem, Accenture Labs has teamed up with Akshaya Patra, the world's largest NGO-run mid-day meal program, to use disruptive technologies such as the blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to boost the number of meals served to children in schools in India that are run and aided by the government. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has been working toward reaching more children to provide them with wholesome food every single school day. When it first started it was serving 1,500 schoolchildren in five schools.