ANGANWADIS GO ONLINE: Transparency in supply of food to children, women

Eluru: In a bid to ensure food supplies to children, pregnant woman and lactating mothers through Anganwadis in a transparent way, the State government has embarked on computerisation of their activities. Henceforth, the regular reports (information about food supplies) of the Anganwadis sent through mobile SMS (short message service) will be hooked to computers online for instant review of the government food supply schemes at State-level. The Woman and Child Welfare Department conducted a special training session for the inspectors of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) at MPDO Office here on Tuesday. Addressing the participants, Regional Deputy Director of the department K Raghava Rao informed that the new system was part of the government's efforts to streamline the food supply through Anganwadis. Under the new system, the supervisors and activists need to send regular SMS reports on food supplies besides indent of the future supplies. The SMS information includes details of eggs supplied to children. Particulars pertaining to number of children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and the new born covered under the government scheme of free food supply would also be shared by officials under the new online system for improved implementation of the scheme, he said. Stating that the new system would give room for total transparency and avoid irregularities in Anganwadi functioning, Raghava Rao said the new system would provide an opportunity to the activists to prove their performance. The new system would help them work with confidence, he said. He suggested them to start sending their SMS reports from Wednesday onwards. Elaborating on the new SMS system, ICDS Project Officer V Vasanta Bala said the information sent by Anganwadi supervisors and activists would be analysed online by a server located at Hyderabad. With the help of the new system, the same information would be accessed by officials to the level of Commissioner of the Woman and Child Welfare, she said.

Foolproof system NOC scientist Gangadhar said that the software system, operated through Global Positioning System (GPS), was designed foolproof. He said the system would not accept SMS sent by supervisors and activists if their location was not in conformity with their place of working. The system prompts the workers to make a visit to the Anganwadi concerned and report from there, he said.