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| The role of the Anganwadi worker has evolved in tandem | | | vijay Garg | 7/18/2025 11:48:11 PM |
| Today, the numbers tell a radically different story. Over 13.96 lakh Anganwadi Centres are digitally mapped, tracking more than 10 crore beneficiaries in near real-time. Ninety-nine per cent of these are Aadhaar-authenticated, making nutrition governance more targeted, accountable, and responsive than ever before. More than 12 lakh smartphones and nearly 13.85 lakh growth monitoring devices are in the hands of frontline staff, transforming paper-bound posts into smart service points.
A helpline (14408), launched in 2022, has registered a massive number of calls, largely from Anganwadi workers seeking tech support. That such a system now exists is itself a marker of transformation. Field workers, once isolated, are now part of a responsive and digitally networked public system.
But this is not just a story of apps and devices. It is one of the structural reimaginations. The Government’s push to upgrade two lakh centres into Smart Anganwadi Centres equipped with LED screens, RO water filters, digital learning aids, and BaLA (Building as Learning Aid) murals signals a shift in what a service delivery point means. By March 2025, 1,70,337 such upgrades had already been sanctioned. If a new kind of state is emerging, it is being built at the doorstep.
The role of the Anganwadi worker has evolved in tandem. Under the “Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi” initiative launched in 2023, she is now a foundational educator, delivering early learning as envisioned by the National Education Policy. With flashcards and puzzles, blackboards and stories, she is shaping India’s youngest minds, aged 3 to 6, in the most underserved corners of the country.
These are not token changes. They are backed by scale and intent. Over 4.2 lakh Anganwadi workers have been trained in early childhood education methods. Through community drives, they led more than 30 crore activities in a single year. This signals a shift that places women, nutrition, education, and digital inclusion at the centre of state-building. And yet, even as expectations rise, so do the gaps. Community demand for quality services has grown. Home visits have increased, especially after the introduction of the Navchetna learning framework for children aged 0 to 3 years.
But basic physical infrastructure continues to be neglected. Many workers still conduct classes in rented buildings, often dilapidated and poorly maintained due to low rental allowances. Some operate under tin roofs. Others are under trees. Everything seems to revolve around the Anganwadi Centre and its beneficiaries, but the woman at the helm remains invisible to the system.
The Centre has become a hub of public delivery, but the woman who runs it is still waiting for recognition. There is pressure to deliver, to stay digitally literate, to ensure transparency, but no clarity on her status as a Government employee. Her workspace is expanding. Her accountability is growing. But the institutional gaze still looks past her.
What is emerging is a new frontline where the Anganwadi worker is not an informal adjunct but a full-fledged node in India’s governance architecture. Policy is slowly catching up. The Ministry has standardised the retirement date to 30 April, raised the minimum educational qualification to Class 12, and introduced a promotion pathway from helper to worker and worker to supervisor. And yet, the paradox remains. Their work is public, but their status is not. Despite handling duties that mirror those of regular Government employees, they are still denied pensions, uniform pay, or formal civil service protections.
The care economy, which is vital to India’s human development story, continues to rest on informal shoulders. But the direction of reform is unmistakable.
The Anganwadi worker is no longer a passive implementer. She is a decision node. She holds the pulse of the village, tracking health, schooling, nutrition, and migration.
Her daily actions now generate national data. Her insights shape programme design. Her presence is not just valuable.
It is indispensable. India’s state-building is no longer just a top-down project. It is being constructed from the grassroots, digitally empowered, locally driven, and deeply human. At the heart of this quiet revolution is a woman who carries the weight of the state in one hand and the future of her village in the other.
Vijay Garg Retired Principal Educational columnist Eminent Educationist street kour Chand MHR Malout Punjab
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