Menu
National

Poshan Tracker (UPSC/RAS)

Read in:
  • Ministry : Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), Government of India.
  • The government has deployed the Poshan Tracker, an ICT-based governance tool that provides real-time monitoring of over 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres and nearly 10 crore beneficiaries. The application has facilitated real-time data collection for Anganwadi Services, including the opening of Anganwadi Centres, daily attendance of children and growth monitoring.

1. Real-time monitoring-

  • This allows for the dynamic identification of stunting, wasting, and underweight prevalence at the individual beneficiary level, enabling targeted "hot-spot" interventions by Anganwadi workers.

2. What it tracks daily activities-

  1. Opening/closing of Anganwadi Centres (AWCs).
  2. Daily attendance of children.
  3. Growth monitoring (height, weight, MUAC - Mid-Upper Arm Circumference).
  4. Supplementary nutrition distribution.
  5. Home visit records by AWWs.
  6. Pregnant and lactating mother registration and follow-up.
  7. Immunisation status tracking.
  8. Referral services for severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

3. Integration with other databases:

  • The programme is supported by over 14 lakh Anganwadi centres and more than 9 crore registered beneficiaries through the POSHAN Tracker App.

4. Beneficiary Module (2025):

  • Poshan Tracker Beneficiary Module: Enhance digital access and track nutrition outcomes for beneficiaries. Citizens/mothers can now self-register and track their own and their child's nutrition status.

5. Hardware provided to AWWs:

  • Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Supervisors will receive mobile phones, and growth monitoring devices such as stadiometers, infantometers, and weighing scales will be provided.

6. Hot-spot identification:

  • Data from the Poshan Tracker enables identification of high-burden districts/blocks/AWCs called "hot spots" where malnutrition prevalence is highest, enabling targeted interventions and fund prioritisation.

Challenges-

  1. Implementation faces challenges like regional disparities, logistical constraints in rural areas, and varying state-level capacities.
  2. Anaemia worsened between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 despite interventions.
  3. Connectivity issues in remote/tribal areas limit real-time data upload.
  4. AWW digital literacy gaps data quality concerns.
  5. Convergence between MoWCD, MoHFW, and Jal Shakti remains weak.
  6. Only 16% of the allocated funds for 2018-19 were utilised, highlighting inefficiencies in resource deployment.
  7. "Last mile" services reach AWC but not all vulnerable families.

Way forward-

  1. Integrate Poshan Tracker with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) for unified health records.
  2. Use Poshan Tracker hot-spot data to target PM-POSHAN (mid-day meal) convergence.
  3. Expand Poshan Vatikas in tribal areas.
  4. Address "maternal time poverty" through crèches near workplaces.

  • Use the Poshan Tracker data to link PDS accounts to individual health needs. For instance, families identified with high prevalence of anaemia could have their PDS card automatically "topped up" with extra pulses or fortified items.