Big digital leap in maintenance of anganwadis in the capital.
NEW DELHI: In a technologically driven decision, the Delhi government has decided to distribute 10,000 smartphones to anganwadi workers. This move is supposed to provide a digital push in the management of anganwadi centres across the capital. Currently, the workers have to maintain 18 records of the centres manually. With digital entries, they would be able to spend more time for the welfare of beneficiaries.
The smartphones will be distributed by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in an event at IGI stadium on Wednesday. The government is also planning to launch an early childhood curriculum. It will cater to children of anganwadi workers aged between three and six.
There are a total of 10,752 anganwadi centres functioning across the city. All these come under the Centre’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Delhi government uses ICDS as the primary social welfare scheme to address malnutrition and health problems in children. It caters to children below six years of age and pregnant and nursing mothers.
The anganwadi centres cater to 1.13 lakh children aged between seven months to six years. Additionly, it also caters to 4.73 lakh pregnant and lactating women. The records maintained include daily opening of anganwadi centres, information of service delivery, children receiving nutrition supplements, apart from other activities.
The government has developed two mobile apps to ease burden of anganwadi workers. the AWW app has been designed to allow users to record daily opening of anganwadi centres and carry out household-wise, name-based, UID-linked registration of members. It will also help them capture real-time information on service delivery facilitating monitoring and services due. The centres will also be able to send through the app pictures of children receiving supplementary nutrition daily.
The second app, lady supervisor, will assist the supervisors in real-time monitoring of child development services to the beneficiaries enrolled at the centre. Apart from this, the supervisors will be able to give priority to the centres that are not performing according to expectations.
The AAP government claims that it has made rapid progress in the expansion of the child development programme in the city. Additionally, the population covered under ICDS has increased substantially.