Use of Mobile Technology to Strengthen Frontline Worker-led Service Delivery and Monitor Nutrition Services of Integrated Child Development Services Program (English)

Launched in March 2018, and implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of India (Gol), the POSHAN Abhiyaan (or the National Nutrition Mission) aimed at achieving improvement in nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time-bound manner, and reduction in stunting and wasting in children (0-6 years), as well as reduction in anemia among women, children and adolescent girls. The POSHAN Abhiyaan leveraged technology to introduce an innovative mobile phone-based application to improve frontline worker-led service delivery and monitoring of the program. This has been transformational, since for the first time in the history of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, such a digital system took over the traditional paper-based recording and reporting of service delivery data. Additionally, the application aided Anganwadi workers (AWWs) in their daily tasks, specifically, in prioritizing of services during the critical first 1000 days period from conception to two years, for improved nutrition, and served as a job aid to be used during counseling of program beneficiaries. It also helped program officials track performance of service providers and take informed decisions for supportive supervision. This note outlines steps taken and key lessons learned in rolling out this technology innovation at scale, essentially in two phases.