WCD to sign MoU with NASSCOM for improving nutrition monitoring app

The Ministry of Women and Child Development would collaborate with the NASSCOM, a trade association of Indian IT companies, for further improving its nutrition monitoring app, a senior official said, as he urged information technology firms to come forward and join its initiative to beat malnutrition.

Smartphones having Integrated Child Development Services-Common Application Software (ICDS-CAS) app has been distributed to about 1.2 lakh anganwadi centres and the ministry aims to increase its coverage to 14 lakh centres by the end of the year, said Rakesh Srivastava, a joint secretary in the WCD Ministry.

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

Srivastava said 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.

He also announced that the NASSCOM will sign an MoU with the ministry in further improving the app.

The announcements were made at a seminar organised by the Ministry of Women and Child Development organised on technology partnerships for steering the Poshan Abhiyan.

The seminar showcased the work done under the Poshan Abhiyaan and the ICDS-CAS software through exhibition and presentations.

Speaking at the seminar, Virendra Kumar, the Minister of State for WCD, said the seminar shows that along with the WCD Ministry, other partnering ministries and departments are all working and collaborating in mission mode to make Poshan Abhiyaan a success.

The ministry is seeking collaboration from several stakeholders to make the abhiyaan a mass movement and there is urgent requirement to converge various ministries, departments, regional administration and workers at the ground level.