Context: Over the past decade, the Ministry of Women and Child development has integrated technology into its programmes to ensure that the benefits reach the last mile swiftly, transparently, and efficiently.
Relevance of the topic:
Prelims: Key technological initiatives for women and children.
Mains: Role of technology in women and children development.
Leveraging Technology for Women’s Rights and Well-being
1. Saksham Anganwadi Initiative:
- Designed to modernise and empower over 2 lakh Anganwadi centres across India. These centres are being upgraded with smart infrastructure, digital devices, and innovative learning tools, enabling more effective delivery of nutrition, healthcare, and pre-school education services.
- The integration of services provided by 14 lakh Anganwadi centres across the nation with the Poshan Tracker has enabled real-time data entry, performance monitoring, and evidence-based policy interventions.
2. Poshan Tracker:
- Over 10.14 crore beneficiaries, including pregnant women, lactating mothers, children under six, and adolescent girls, are now registered on Poshan Tracker.
- At its core, Poshan Tracker is driving the national vision of a Swasth Bharat, Suposhit Bharat. By equipping Anganwadi workers with smartphones and comprehensive training, the initiative ensures quality service delivery at the last mile.
- It reimagines Anganwadi centres as digitally empowered community hubs that bridge the urban-rural divide.
- Recognised with the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration (2025), it also supports Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi, providing digital training modules to Anganwadi workers for early childhood education.
3. Facial Recognition and Leak-Proof Nutrition Delivery:
- To plug leakages in the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP), a facial recognition system has been introduced. This ensures that only eligible beneficiaries receive nutrition support.
4. DBT under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana:
- Under the PMMVY Rules, 2022, pregnant women receive ₹5,000 for the first child, and an enhanced ₹6,000 for the second child if it is a girl, promoting positive reinforcement for daughters.
- Delivered through a paperless Direct Benefit Transfer system, about ₹19,000 crore has reached over 4 crore women beneficiaries since its inception.
- It is a fully digital programme leveraging Aadhaar-based authentication, mobile-based registration, doorstep assistance from Anganwadi/ASHA workers, and real-time dashboards.
- A dedicated grievance redressal module and citizen-facing portal ensure transparency, trust, and accountability, strengthening the government’s commitment to Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
4. Tech-Led Women’s Safety Platforms
Beyond nutrition, the Ministry is ensuring safety and support for women through technology-led platforms.
- SHe-Box Portal: A single-window platform to lodge complaints under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. It enables both online submission and tracking of complaints.
- Mission Shakti Dashboard and Mobile App: It provides integrated assistance to women in distress, connecting them to the nearest one-stop centre, now operational in nearly every district. These interventions exemplify how technology is being used not just for efficiency, but for justice, dignity, and empowerment.
Tangible outcomes of Welfare Schemes:
These targeted efforts are delivering tangible outcomes. The latest reports from the Health Management Information System of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) reveal that:
- Sex Ratio at Birth has increased from 918 (2014-15) to 930 (2023-24).
- Maternal Mortality Rate has declined to 97 per 1,000 births (2018-20) from 130 per 1,000 births (2014-16).
Leveraging Technology for Child Protection and Welfare:
Digital transformation has played a key role in child protection and welfare.
Under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, digital tools are being used to protect and support children:
- CARINGS Portal (Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System) streamlines and digitises the adoption process, making it more transparent and accessible.
- Digitisation has also improved monitoring of child care institutions, foster care placements, and statutory support structures under the Act.
- Platforms developed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights are tracking violations of child rights.
- Mission Vatsalya dashboard strengthens convergence and coordination among various child welfare stakeholders.