Ludhiana: Anganwadi workers flag lack of resources in Poshan Tracker rollout

The app requires face ID and OTP-based verification, a process many families are reluctant to comply with; for daily wage earners and poor households, the idea of sharing biometric details and mobile-linked OTPs has become a source of fear, workers say

The government’s push for digital monitoring of child nutrition has hit a roadblock in Ludhiana, where anganwadi workers say they are being forced to use the Poshan Tracker app without basic resources such as smartphones or reliable internet. The district has now slipped into the “red zone” for recording the lowest child data uploads in Punjab.

Workers allege that the face-recognition feature has only increased their workload while breeding mistrust among poor households. (HT Photo)

The workers have held a series of protests in recent months against the compulsory Poshan Tracker app- the digital tool launched by the Union ministry of women and child development to monitor nutrition schemes. Workers allege that the face-recognition feature has only increased their workload while breeding mistrust among poor households. The app requires face ID and OTP-based verification, a process many families are reluctant to comply with. For daily wage earners and poor households, the idea of sharing biometric details and mobile-linked OTPs has become a source of fear, workers say.

“People are scared. We are forcing them to share private information without their full understanding or consent,” said Anju Mehta, a union leader. She argued that instead of making welfare delivery smoother, such digital enforcement is only creating mistrust among the poorest families.

District president Subhash Rani raised another issue- the lack of basic resources. “We are being told to go digital, but no smartphones have been provided. How can we do our work properly?” she asked. Many workers also alleged that they have been warned by child development project officers with termination if the face recognition system is not completed within deadlines. “Those who tried using the app said it barely works. Since 2018, funds have been sanctioned twice for mobile phones, yet we are still waiting,” one worker claimed.

On the other hand, district programme officer Gurmeet Singh defended the administration. He said Ludhiana is in the “red zone” because it has the lowest number of submissions in the Face Recognition System (FRS) across Punjab. “Among all districts, Ludhiana stands at the bottom. Workers are not government employees but volunteers. They receive ₹166 per month as mobile allowance. If data is not uploaded on time, we will stop receiving funds from the Centre,” he said.