Welfare at the mercy of the machine, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• The Union government mandated the use of Facial Recognition Software (FRS) in Anganwadis to authenticate beneficiaries for Take Home Rations (THR) from July 1, 2025.
• Poshan Tracker, a centralized application platform launched in 2021, now integrates FRS for pregnant and lactating women to verify their identity through e-KYC.
• There are approximately 14.02 lakh Anganwadis in India, each with at least one Anganwadi worker (AWW) and helper.
• Anganwadis were established in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme to combat child malnutrition.

Detailed Insights:

• The FRS implementation requires women to authenticate their faces via the Poshan Tracker app, after completing e-KYC with Aadhaar and biometric verification.
• The stated purpose is to prevent fraud, but it presumes guilt rather than innocence, conflicting with principles of natural justice.
• AWWs face challenges including phone number changes, OTP sharing issues, errors in face matching, and poor network connectivity, hindering ration distribution.
• The core issues in THR delivery, such as poor ration quality, irregular supply, outdated budgets (₹8 per child since 2018), and corruption, are not addressed by FRS.
• Supreme Court orders since 2004 mandate decentralized production and distribution of THR, preferably through self-help groups, yet large commercial entities are still involved.
• Community monitoring is suggested as a more effective verification method, and the government should disclose reports of fraud if they exist.
• Using FRS on vulnerable communities treats them as criminals, contrasting with its ban in places like San Francisco.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Anganwadi: A rural child care center in India, part of the Integrated Child Development Services program.
• Take Home Ration (THR): Food provided to children and pregnant/lactating women under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
• Poshan Tracker: A centralized platform to monitor nutrition initiatives and collect real-time data on Anganwadi services.