Bombay High Court directs Maharashtra government to provide smartphones to around 1.3 lakh Aanganwadi workers within four months across the state to enable them to enter beneficiary data on the Centre’s POSHAN tracker app.
The app enables real-time monitoring and tracking of all Anganwadi workers, providing a 360-degree view of their activities and complete beneficiary management for pregnant women, lactating mothers, children, adolescent girls and adolescent boys.
HC refused to accept the state government’s submission that it would require a minimum of six months to complete the process of purchasing and delivering nearly 1.30 lakh smartphones at the Anganwadi level was entirely unacceptable.
During the hearing, the government pleader informed the HC that the technically qualified person was looking into the purchase and distribution of the smartphones to anganwadi workers. A schedule was submitted to the HC which stated that it would take 45 days for technical bids and later 90 days for commercial bids.
In an earlier hearing last week, the bench was told that the mobile devices used by the workers were outdated and Aanganwadi workers were not able to enter beneficiary data on the POSHAN tracker app. The bench had rapped the state government for its oppressive approach by issuing show cause notices to Anganwadi workers for the lapse while the problem was with the handsets as they did not support the app, HT reported.
The court noted in its order that the existing handsets (being used by anganwadi workers) are beyond warranty since 2017 or 2019 and are malfunctioning, not allowing the correct entry of data. Yet they have been issued show cause notices. Now we are told that the new phones will take six months to deliver. Presumably, this means that for those six months, Anganwadi workers will get one show cause notice after another. This entire situation is unviable, added the bench.