SRINAGAR: The Central Government on Wednesday said it has completed e-KYC and Aadhaar-based face authentication for 4.70 crore beneficiaries, or 97.65 per cent of the 4.81 crore eligible Take Home Ration (THR) beneficiaries, under the Poshan Tracker application, while introducing offline data entry and other measures to ensure uninterrupted Anganwadi services in areas with poor internet connectivity, including Jammu and Kashmir.
In a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said the Poshan Tracker has been rolled out as an ICT-based governance platform to monitor the functioning of Anganwadi Centres, Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and beneficiaries. The application has substantially reduced the administrative burden on Anganwadi workers by simplifying manual data entry and streamlining service delivery.
The Minister said all Anganwadi workers have been provided with smartphones along with Rs 2,000 annually towards internet connectivity charges. A two per cent buffer stock of smartphones has also been maintained at the district level to ensure uninterrupted digital reporting.
To address connectivity gaps in rural and remote areas, the Poshan Tracker has been designed with an offline mode, allowing Anganwadi workers to record daily activities without internet access and synchronise the data within five days. Daily reporting on attendance, opening of centres, distribution of Take Home Ration and Hot Cooked Meals, pre-school education and hygiene sessions can all be completed offline.
According to data placed before Parliament, 3,124 of Jammu and Kashmir’s 28,199 Anganwadi Centres, or 11.08 per cent, are currently using the offline data entry facility. In Ladakh, 164 out of 1,172 Anganwadi Centres (13.99 per cent) are operating in offline mode.
Nationwide, 1,97,351 of the country’s 13,99,602 Anganwadi Centres, representing 14.10 per cent, are using offline data entry to overcome connectivity constraints.
The Minister said block and district coordinators provide on-ground technical support to Anganwadi workers and supervisors for effective use of the Poshan Tracker and prompt resolution of technical issues.
She added that the Department of Telecommunications is expanding broadband and mobile connectivity in remote and underserved areas through the Digital Bharat Nidhi and the amended BharatNet Project, under which priority is being given to connecting government institutions, including Anganwadi Centres, schools, Primary Health Centres and Panchayat offices.
The government said these measures are aimed at bridging the digital divide while ensuring uninterrupted delivery of nutrition and child development services across the country.
