Digital barriers, rain cut off nutrition lifeline for women

Previously, family members were allowed to collect the food items on behalf of the beneficiary, but now the beneficiary herself must come to the centre

Sirsi: The distribution of supplementary nutritious food to pregnant women and lactating mothers through anganwadi centres has been severely hampered due to complications with the Face Recognition Software (FRS). This has put many beneficiaries at risk of being deprived of essential nutrition.

Most of the required items for preparing the nutritional food are provided to beneficiaries by the anganwadi centres.

However, a new mandatory rule requires beneficiaries to visit the anganwadi centre in person, verify their identity with a photo, and authenticate via OTP (One Time Password) to receive these supplies. With the onset of the rainy season, this process has become increasingly difficult.

Geographically challenging

“In this geographically challenging taluk with forests and hilly terrain, it’s already tough for beneficiaries to come to the anganwadi centre for meals or to collect supplies. Previously, family members were allowed to collect the items on behalf of the beneficiary, but now the beneficiary herself must come to the centre. Travelling during heavy rains and strong winds is extremely difficult,” said a beneficiary. “The persistent mobile network issues, worsened by storms and power outages, are making it hard to capture photos and complete the FRS process. Pregnant women and lactating mothers who cannot visit the centres are facing severe difficulties obtaining nutritional food,” she added.

Network issues

One anganwadi worker, speaking anonymously, said, “Weighing the items in terms of grams is in itself a challenge.

“It would be easier if all materials were provided in kit form. The network problems make using FRS very challenging.”

The FRS system was introduced in March 2025 and was initially optional, but is now mandatory. According to Child Development Project Officer Veena Shirisikar, “In the taluk, 888 pregnant women and 933 lactating mothers must personally come to the anganwadi centre, authenticate their Aadhaar OTP, and have their photo taken.

“Only after completing the FRS process with eye scans can the supplementary nutritional items be distributed.”

She further added: “There are 4,521 children aged 3 to 6 years in the area who receive nutrition powder, jaggery powder, sugar, and milk powder.

“To receive these items, the child or their parent must also come and complete the FRS process.”

The current system has sparked concern among beneficiaries and anganwadi workers alike, who call for urgent solutions to ensure uninterrupted nutritional support for vulnerable groups amid ongoing weather and technical challenges.

What’s in the kit?

“Pregnant women and lactating mothers are given a kit that includes eggs, rice, tur dal, salt, oil, soya mix, sambar masala, green gram, chana, pepper, mustard seeds, jaggery, milk powder, sugar, and millet laddus,” said an anganwadi worker.

The supplementary nutrition programme has been aimed at bridging nutritional gaps and ensuring adequate intake of essential nutrients during pregnancy, addressing potential deficiencies in their regular diets.