Shillong: The Meghalaya government has distributed smartphones to Anganwadi workers across East Garo Hills. The initiative aims to bridge the digital divide and enhance the effectiveness of service delivery in child and maternal welfare schemes.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma handed over the smartphones at a distribution programme held at St George Higher Secondary School in Samanda, East Garo Hills.
The event was attended by Anganwadi workers from across the district, who received the devices funded by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under a Rs. 6 crore initiative.
Addressing the gathering, the chief minister emphasised the importance of equipping frontline workers with digital tools to strengthen the implementation of key social welfare schemes.
“These smartphones will not only bridge the digital gap but also ensure better service delivery through improved data monitoring and reporting,” said the chief minister.
Each smartphone comes pre-installed with the POSHAN Tracker App, a tool designed to replace manual registers and allow real-time data entry on child nutrition, health metrics, and welfare program tracking.
Anganwadi workers will now be able to digitally record and report the growth of children under six years of age, including height and weight metrics.
To further encourage digital reporting, workers will be incentivized for regular monitoring and timely data uploads through the app.
Alongside the smartphone distribution, Sangma also inaugurated the new school building of St George Higher Secondary School, dedicating it to students with hopes of fostering creativity, learning, and growth.
Students of the school received M-Tabs, a digital learning aid aimed at enhancing access to educational resources.
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As part of the broader rural development focus, IIT Innovation ECO H2O Filters were also distributed to Anganwadi centres to provide safe drinking water to children in remote areas.
The event was also attended by Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh and Public Health Engineering Minister Marcuise Marak, who expressed their support for ongoing efforts to moderniee and empower frontline service providers across the state.
