WCD signs agreement with NASSCOM for effective implementation of Poshan Abhiyan

The Women and Child Development Ministry has signed an agreement with the NASSCOM, a trade association of Indian IT companies, for ensuring effective implementation of Poshan Abhiyan across 36 states and Union territories, a senior official said Monday.

The senior ministry official said the memorandum of agreement was signed between WCD Joint Secretary Rajesh Kumar and NASSCOM Foundation CEO Shrikant Sinha.

The official said the agreement was signed for ensuring effective implementation of Poshan Abhiyan across 36 states and Union territories and it includes further improving the ministry's nutrition monitoring app.

Smartphones having Integrated Child Development Services-Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS) app were distributed to about 1.2 lakh anganwadi centres and the ministry aimed to increase its coverage to 14 lakh centres by the end of the year, the official said.

The nutrition monitoring app was developed under the Poshan Abhiyan that aims to fight malnourishment and stunting. The app is presently available for anganwadi centres in seven states.

"It was necessary that anganwadis are able to feed information about the child and lactating woman in the app properly as the information cannot be changed once it has been entered.

"So there is a need for collaboration of IT industry in contributing towards redeveloping the app and giving their expert opinion in improving it," WCD Secretary Rakesh Srivastava had earlier said.