Polity & Governance

Poshan app allows migrant workers to access nurseries

Context

More than 57,000 migrant workers have registered for the special ‘one nation one Anganwadi programme’, to avail the benefits of schemes especially for children and mothers which is important for inclusive development and welfare society.

About One Nation One Anganwadi Programme:
  • Under ‘One Nation One Anganwadi Programme’, people even if relocate to another State, they can avail of the benefits given to children under six years and pregnant women and lactating mothers by the government.
  • Under the programme each migrant worker who had registered in their original state could go to the nearest Anganwadi in their current place of residence and avail of the schemes and services offered.
  • This can become possible with the coordination of Centre and the State governments using the ‘Poshan Tracker App’ on mobile phones.
  • An age-appropriate take home ration is also being designed for children up to six years of age and a proposal has been sent for the same to the finance ministry.

The Poshan Tracker management application provides a 360-degree view of the activities of the Anganwadi Centre (child care centres), service deliveries of Anganwadi Workers and complete beneficiary management for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under six.

  • It also digitizes and automates physical registers used by workers that helps improve the quality of their work.

Benefits of the Programme:

  • Providing affordable and accessible healthcare: Through the Anganwadi system, the country is trying to meet its goal of providing affordable and accessible healthcare to local populations.
  • Local Connect & Community Mobilisation: Anganwadi workers have the advantage over the physicians living in the same rural area, which gives them insight into the state of health in the locality and assists in identifying the cause of problems and in countering them.
  • Eradicating Malnourishment: One-third of the world’s stunted children live in India. This is the highest number in the world. Anganwadis are integral for the success of ICDS programme that caters to the nutrition, health and pre-education needs of children till six years of age as well as the health and nutrition of women and adolescent girls.
  • Ensuring Access to Government Programmes: Anganwadi workers are India’s primary tool against the menace of child malnourishment, infant mortality, and lack of child education, community health problems and in curbing preventable diseases.

POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission):

  • It was launched by the government on March 8, 2018.
  • Aim:
    • The Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively

POSHAN 2.0:

  • About:
    • The government has amalgamated various programmes with similar objectives such as Supplementary Nutrition Programme and “POSHAN Abhiyaan under one umbrella–Mission POSHAN 2.0”—for creating synergies in operations and adopting an integrated approach in the nutrition services mechanism.
  • Components:
    • Convergence: The Abhiyaan is to ensure convergence of all nutrition related schemes of MWCD on the target population. The Abhiyaan will ensure convergence of various programmes.
    • ICDS-CAS: Software based tracking of nutritional status will be done.
    • Behavioral change: The Abhiyaan will be run as a Jan Andolan where mass involvement of people is desired. A community-based event will happen once a month to create awareness and address issues.
    • Incentives: Front line workers will be given incentives for performance.
    • Training and Capacity Building: Incremental Learning Approach will be adopted to teach 21 thematic modules. The training will be given by Master Trainers to front line workers.
    • Grievance Redressal: A call centre will be set up for ease of access to solutions to any issues faced
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