Mobile phones will be helpful in ending malnutrition: CM
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that we will now be more successful in removing the stigma of malnutrition, as the health and nutrition of children can be checked scientifically through information technology. Earlier, health and nutrition information had to be entered in 11 types of registers, now this task will become easy through a smart phone. This system will be implemented in all the districts of the state.
Chouhan presented smart phones symbolically to four Anganwadi workers of Sehore district including Sushri Rekha Barela, Manisha Prajapati, Deepa Gohia and Rekha Karate, at Mantralaya today. Smart phones are being given to 1465 Anganwadi workers of Sehore district. Chief Minister Chouhan said that district and state level Anganwadis, Anganwadi workers, adopters, supervisors and women and child development officers would be rewarded for the outstanding work.
Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prabhuram Choudhary, MLA Sudesh Rai, Karan Singh Verma, Sitaram Yadav virtually participated in the programme from Sehore Town Hall. The target is to distribute about one lakh smart phones in the state. In the first phase, smart phones were distributed to 27 thousand 817 Anganwadi workers and tablets to 972 supervisors in 16 districts of the state. Now smart phones are being purchased and distributed from the district level, to 69 thousand 316 Anganwadi workers and 2,429 supervisors, in 36 districts.
The Chief Minister said that smart phone will become a medium to end malnutrition. Low birth weight, anemia and short stature are some of the malformations in children that occur due to lack of adequate food. Many efforts have been made to end malnutrition in the state, as a result of which success has also been achieved in reducing malnutrition. But we will not rest until all the children become healthy. Everyone’s cooperation is necessary to end malnutrition. We will work hard day and night to get good results.
Chouhan informed that he is adopting Anganwadi center at Mathar in Sehore district. He urged the public representatives to adopt Anganwadis. He said that public participation would make the task of nurturing children easier. Those who have adopted Anganwadi must visit there once in a month. Chief Minister Chouhan also urged to keep a (Poshan Matka) nutrition pot and arrange moong, dal, gram and other food grains in it.
Woman and Child Development Department is conducting nutrition campaign in the state from 97 thousand 135 Anganwadi and Mini Anganwadi centers approved in 453 Integrated Child Development Projects. Information and Communication Technology based real time monitoring mobile based Poshan tracker app (application) has been arranged.
Daily information on services provided in Anganwadi centers is entered by Anganwadi workers using the Poshan Tracker App from smart phones. Monitoring of information is done daily at Block, District and State level. Use of the nutrition tracker on smart phone by Anganwadi workers will not only lessen the work of maintaining registers on a daily basis, but Anganwadi workers will get ready information regarding daily tasks from the same application, in which they have to choose which beneficiaries for vaccination and other services in home visit. The responsibility of Anganwadi workers also includes visiting the homes of the beneficiaries and giving advice and information. With the new system this task will also become easier. With the Poshan tracker, Anganwadi workers can see the list of all the beneficiaries registered in their center anywhere at any time on their mobile, which will facilitate monitoring of beneficiaries. It will also become easier to monitor the growth of children up to the age of 5 years enrolled in Anganwadi centres. The level of malnutrition of the child will be reflected immediately after the Anganwadi worker records the weight and height of the children. Now the Anganwadi worker will not have to fill the growth register. On registering a pregnant woman with the Poshan tracker, the information about which pregnant woman has to be checked daily by the Anganwadi worker or which pregnant woman has to be counseled through home visit will also be available. Rs 200 per month is being paid to all the Anganwadi workers of the state for net connectivity for the operation of Poshan tracker application. An amount of Rs 500 will be given to Anganwadi workers and Rs 250 to Anganwadi assistants as incentive on filling the information as per the prescribed criteria in the application.
The department’s priority is to distribute 27 thousand smart phones in the first phase and 69 thousand in the second phase in the state. Necessary training is also being given in this connection. Along with this, the work of adopting Anganwadis is also going on. So far 71 thousand Anganwadis have been adopted by public representatives and citizens in the state.
