The minister added that the private data is not publicly accessible and is available only to authorised personnel solely for verification purposes. The Poshan Tracker application is typically used by Anganwadi workers and is not open to the public or any unauthorised party. Access is role-based, logged, and monitored to prevent misuse.Further, the application’s internal database is encrypted, preventing access to sensitive information outside the app environment. Face images are handled in encoded format within the app to ensure safe processing and transmission.She said that for availing benefits of take-home ration on a monthly basis, face matching can be performed both in online and offline mode and no repeated eKYC is required.The offline mode feature has been developed keeping in consideration areas with low digital connectivity. The facial recognition feature has also been made compatible for low-end version phones.Bal Aadhaar for children under five years of age does not contain any biometric data; therefore, for children aged up to six years, the FRS of the mother, father, or guardian is being done and not that of the child.She further said that under the 15th Finance Commission, various components like Anganwadi services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and the scheme for adolescent girls (aged 14-18 years in aspirational districts and the North-Eastern region) have been subsumed under the umbrella Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0) to address the challenge of malnutrition.It is a centrally sponsored mission, where the responsibility for implementation of various activities lies with the states and UTs. “This mission is a universal self-selecting umbrella scheme where there are no entry barriers for any beneficiary to register and receive services,” Thakur said.Under this mission, supplementary nutrition is provided to children (six months to six years), pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition by adopting a life cycle approach.Supplementary nutrition is provided in accordance with the nutrition norms contained in Schedule II of the National Food Security Act. These norms were revised in January 2023.The old norms were largely calorie-specific; however, the revised norms are more comprehensive and balanced in terms of both quantity and quality of supplementary nutrition, based on the principles of diet diversity that provide for quality protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients.
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