A survey conducted by a coalition of rights activists has uncovered that digital compliance pressures, administrative negligence, and other obstacles are severely impacting the effective implementation of nutrition-related schemes at anganwadi centres in Jharkhand.
Survey Findings
The survey, carried out by the Right to Food Campaign (RTFC), Jharkhand, covered 106 anganwadis across 15 blocks in 9 districts between November and December last year. It revealed that digital systems such as nutrition trackers, e-KYC, and face recognition systems (FRS) have complicated the work of health workers and deprived beneficiaries of essential services. The findings were made public on Saturday.
Activist Concerns
Addressing the media, activist and economist Jean Drèze stated that many anganwadi sevikas live in fear of meeting digital targets to retain their jobs. He said, "This fear and conflict are not a one-day affair but have become an everyday reality created by the central government through the Poshan tracker. The situation has worsened recently, with many sevikas burdened by the heavy workload of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as booth level officers (BLOs) for a nominal honorarium."
Taramani Sahu, another food activist, urged the government to take concrete steps, as the issues directly affect the nutrition and health of women and children. She explained, "The survey aimed to assess the actual status of nutrition programmes and how digital systems like e-KYC and FRS are functioning, along with ground-level challenges."
Egg Distribution Affected
RTFC noted that the egg distribution scheme is among those adversely affected. State rules mandate eggs be provided six days a week, but only 43% of sevikas acknowledged distributing eggs on all days. The government pays Rs 6 per egg, while market prices are significantly higher. Most sevikas purchase eggs using their own money and wait months for reimbursement. Due to delays of two to three months or more, many centres have stopped distributing eggs. However, 97% of sevikas stated that children’s attendance increases when eggs are provided.
e-KYC and FRS Challenges
At the time of the survey, only 56.1% of beneficiaries had completed e-KYC, whereas the Centre’s target was 100% coverage by July 1, 2025. Around 53% of sevikas reported that e-KYC takes more than 10 minutes or the process fails. About 92% complained of OTP delays. Due to outdated biometrics or incorrect Aadhaar details, many eligible women and children are being deprived of anganwadi services, RTFC stated.
The FRS situation is equally concerning. Approximately 86% of sevikas complained of weak network connectivity, and 41.5% reported frequent camera failures in recognizing faces. According to information obtained through RTI, 575 villages in Jharkhand still lack any mobile network or internet facility, which are precisely the areas where nutrition needs are greatest.
Official Response
An official from the social welfare department said, "We are yet to go through the survey findings to make any comment."
