Challenge Detail

Silicosis prevalence among Rajasthan's sandstone mine workers runs as high as 79% in some districts (Karauli, Jodhpur, Dausa, Bhilwara), and the disease is routinely misdiagnosed as tuberculosis because early-stage silicosis shows no symptoms until lung damage is advanced. Workers in remote mining belts rarely have access to chest X-ray or spirometry facilities, so by the time it's caught, the damage is irreversible.
 

Key Features Sought

• Portable/low-cost respiratory screening tool (e.g., low-cost spirometry, AI-assisted chest sound analysis) usable at mine sites or village camps
• Worker registry linked to the existing online silicosis certification portal
• Risk-flagging based on years of exposure, occupation type, and screening results
• Simple referral pathway to the nearest district Pneumoconiosis Board