Issues with outdated phones hit data entry by anganwadi workers

Frequent issues with government-allocated mobile phones are preventing anganwadi workers in the state from carrying out daily work.

This hasn’t affected the implementation of key central and state government schemes such as the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Matru Vandana Yojana and other child and maternal nutrition schemes.

Fed up with phone hanging, lack of network, storage space and failure to allocate a budget for mobile currency plans has prompted anganwadi workers in the state to decide on returning the devices on July 10 to the deputy commissioners, if these issues remain unresolved.

ICDS details

Four years ago, the government provided 63,000 Samsung and LG phones to the workers to input beneficiary tracking details under ICDS and maternal health programmes.

“Workers have to input the height, weight and other markers of health for the POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) every month. They are required to take attendance of all children and pregnant women who visit the centre under various nutrition programmes. Over the years, more mobile applications have been created and we have been instructed to download and input details through these phones,” explains S Varalakshmi, state president of Karnataka Anganwadi Worker Association.

Anganwadi workers are also required to type in food requirements for the mid-day meals provided at the centres.

For instance, workers have to input beneficiary details into the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana app in addition to the POSHAN app.

Survey questionnaire

“We also have been tasked to conduct a state-wide health survey. Each questionnaire is 30 pages long,” explains Kavitha (name changed), an anganwadi worker from the Mysuru district.

In all, workers are required to use at least four to five applications on a daily basis. However, low storage capacity on state-provided phones means that there are several operational difficulties, including screen hanging and unprompted shutting down of apps.

“Since it has been more than four years, the phones have also become incompatible with current software updates. In some cases, the display is not working,” adds Kavitha.

Such issues could have been handled if the government had sanctioned a budget for phone repairs.

“According to officials, however, Anganwadi workers are responsible for the devices in case of repairs or even theft,” explains Mamatha (name changed), an anganwadi worker from Uttara Kannada district.

Officials in the Ministry of Women and Child Development did not respond to requests for comment. To change the display, or in cases of general repair, workers are forced to spend anywhere between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000.

“This is in addition to the money we spend on mobile recharge. Since the phones were distributed, we are spending money on a monthly basis to recharge the mobile pack,” says Mamatha.

Network issues

Network issues are also preventing workers from being able to input details on a regular basis. When officials allocated SIM cards, the presence of mobile towers in the district was not taken into account.

“In Uttara Kannada, they have provided us with BSNL SIM cards. We rarely get a network. We are forced to travel 8-9 km from the centre to input details,” says Mamatha.