Anganwadi workers from six blocks of Ludhiana district gathered outside the Child Development Project Office in Shimlapuri on Friday, launching a strong protest against the compulsory face-recognition system introduced under the Poshan Tracker App. The workers said the system is slowing down service delivery, denying benefits to children and placing an unfair burden on frontline staff.
Leading the protest, Subhash Rani, district president of the Anganwadi Mulazim Union affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said workers across the country are being pushed to the edge despite their crucial role. “More than 26 lakh anganwadi workers are serving nearly eight crore children under the age of six on a very small honorarium. Yet, as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme completes 50 years, what we have received is only disappointment,” she said.
The protest comes after anganwadi workers held a pen-down strike beginning in September, declaring that they would not log into or operate the Poshan Tracker until their concerns were addressed.
Workers argued that the new requirement mandating beneficiaries to complete eKYC and facial recognition is impractical and often unworkable on the ground. Many families, they said, face difficulties completing these formalities, leading to disruptions in the delivery of nutrition and other essential services.
Another major grievance is the lack of basic infrastructure. The state government had promised smartphones for operating the tracker app, but workers say they have yet to receive them. “We are using our own phones to keep the system running, and still we are served explanation notices for incomplete Facial Recognition System (FRS) entries. Some workers are even threatened with termination,” said Bhinder Kaur, general secretary of the union.
{{/usCountry}}Another major grievance is the lack of basic infrastructure. The state government had promised smartphones for operating the tracker app, but workers say they have yet to receive them. “We are using our own phones to keep the system running, and still we are served explanation notices for incomplete Facial Recognition System (FRS) entries. Some workers are even threatened with termination,” said Bhinder Kaur, general secretary of the union.
{{/usCountry}}Union member Anju Mehta said workers have reluctantly resumed using the app from Friday because stopping it was directly affecting beneficiaries. “We will continue our fight, but not at the cost of children,” she said, adding that a detailed demand letter addressed to the Union minister of women and child development was handed over to child development project officer Anju Singla during the protest.