Press Information Bureau

The Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Women & Child Development was held today in New Delhi under the chairpersonship of Union Minister Smt. Annpurna Devi. The agenda of the meeting was “Facial Recognition System being implemented in Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0”.

The meeting was attended by Members of Parliament representing both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including Smt. Sudha Murthy, Smt. Manju Sharma, Smt. Jobha Majhi, Smt. Dharmshila Gupta, Smt. Indu B. Goswami, and Smt. Kiran Chaudhary.

 

In her address, Smt. Annpurna Devi underlined the importance of the Facial Recognition System (FRS) in enhancing transparency, accountability and efficiency in the delivery of services under the Mission. She stated that the technology would ensure that benefits reach only genuine beneficiaries while eliminating leakages and duplication.

 

Shri Anil Malik, Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, briefed the Members on the technical and operational aspects of the Facial Recognition System (FRS), highlighting its role in real-time monitoring of Take-Home Ration (THR) distribution through the Poshan Tracker. Shri Gyanesh Bharti, Additional Secretary, MWCD, made a detailed presentation on the implementation strategy, benefits and impact of the system.

The Members of Parliament shared their observations and provided constructive suggestions for further strengthening the initiative. They appreciated the introduction of the FRS as a significant step towards ensuring efficient and accountable service delivery to beneficiaries.

 

The Union Minister expressed gratitude to the Members for their valuable inputs and directed the officials concerned to take necessary steps to incorporate the suggestions. She urged continued collaboration with Members of Parliament to address issues at the grassroots level.

FRS process on Poshan Tracker during THR Distribution

Face Recognition System (FRS) has been introduced by the Ministry to ensure the last mile tracking of Take-Home Ration Delivery. The Face Recognition System (FRS) is a technology-enabled authentication feature which verifies the actual beneficiary based on Aadhaar details.

FRS involves 2 steps i.e. On-boarding (eKYC, live Photo capturing & authentication) followed by face matching during THR distribution.

1. On boarding: For on-boarding of registered beneficiaries to implement FRS system, Anganwadi workers are required to capture face and perform eKYC of the beneficiary only once where OTP is sent on Aadhaar registered mobile number. During entire stay in the system of beneficiary i.e. Pregnancy to Lactation, 0-6 years, 14-18 years for Adolescent Girls. For children below 5 years Baal Aadhar is issued without biometric. Hence, FRS/eKYC mother/father/guardian is being taken in case of children.

 

1. Monthly Face Matching after First-Time FRS Completion: Once a beneficiary's e-KYC and face capture is successfully completed for the first time, their verified image is stored securely in the system. From the following month onward, face matching is performed by comparing the newly captured image with the previously verified photo. Monthly face matching can be done in offline mode.

 

Benefits of FRS

 

• Empowers beneficiaries to receive rightful entitlements and holds the field functionaries accountable.
• FRS requires the physical presence of the beneficiary during distribution at the AWC, which helps to improve health seeking behaviour through interaction with Anganwadi workers.
• It helps to eliminate leakage and duplication in the system.
• It ensures that benefits are given to the intended beneficiaries registered in Poshan Tracker.

Milestones

• FRS pilot was rolled out in August 2024.
• FRS was rolled out across the country in December 2024; however, it was not made mandatory for THR distribution.
• From 1 July 2025, facial recognition has been made mandatory through the Poshan Tracker App to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries receive Take Home Ration (THR).
• It is being leveraged for FRS for PMMVY purposes from 31st May onwards.
• From 1^st August 2025 FRS made registration of all beneficiaries mandatory .

 

Implementation Strategy

• Development of the FRS module on Poshan Tracker.
• Consultation with States and Pilot Rollout.
• Training and Technical support to State officials and field functionaries: State Coordinators, CDPOs (Child Development Project Officers), Block Coordinators, District Coordinators, District Programme Officers (DPOs) and Anganwadi Workers.
• Field visits and review meeting by officers from Ministry.
• Technical upgradation of the FRS Module based on feedback.
• Pan India Rollout.
• Continuous Training and handholding to all State officials and field functionaries.
• Continuous technical support/tweaking.
• Regular review meetings with States/UTs.

 

Training & Support

 

• Regular training and handholding sessions are conducted by NeGD state coordinators and Block coordinators.
• From time-to-time officers from the Ministry visit the States/UTs to monitor the progress and understand the difficulties.
• Regular review meetings with State/UT officials are conducted to understand and redress technical difficulties.

****  

SS/MS

(Release ID: 2155283) Visitor Counter : 2