MEGHA a toll-free, voice-based AI agent, assists users by providing eligibility checks, listing necessary documents, and guiding applicants step-by-step through govt processes
SHILLONG, April 27: In a major recognition for Meghalaya, a team of mid-career Master’s candidates from the Harvard Kennedy School has clinched first place at the prestigious “AI for Good Hackathon” organised by the Centre for International Development, Harvard University, for their project, MEGHA — short for Meghalaya E-Governance Human-Centred Assistance — which is an innovative, toll-free, voice-based AI agent designed to bridge the gap between rural citizens and government schemes.
MEGHA assists users by providing eligibility checks, listing necessary documents, and guiding applicants step-by-step through government processes. Importantly, every response is grounded strictly in verified official documents, with personal data captured only with explicit consent.
The project aims to empower rural communities in Meghalaya by making government services more accessible, particularly for citizens with limited digital literacy. MEGHA also sends concise call summaries to both citizens and government officers, while anonymised interaction data is used to inform more inclusive policy design.
“MEGHA was born from the conviction that AI can bridge the gap between rural citizens and their entitlements,” said Dr Aarushi Jain, Policy Director at the Indian School of Business and one of the team members.
The winning team comprised Dr Aarushi Jain, Manish Maheshwari (General Partner & India Head, BAT VC), Mohammed Y Safirulla K (IAS Officer), Ashish Tiwari (IPS Officer), and Manudev Jain (IRS Officer).
Over an intense eight-hour competition, multidisciplinary teams from Harvard and MIT developed functional prototypes using tools like voDev, Replit, Jotform AI Agent Builder, and PingPong. Other projects ranged from alumni career development platforms to AI-driven emergency call line enhancements.
The judges namely, Prof Fatema Z Sumar, Executive Director of the Center for International Development, and Prof Hong Qu, both from Harvard Kennedy School, praised MEGHA for its focus on human-centred AI and its potential for real-world impact.
Now, the Harvard team hopes to partner with the Meghalaya government to pilot MEGHA in Meghalaya, bringing their vision of inclusive, citizen-friendly governance to life.