Food supply to Anganwadi Centres should not stopped for not linking Aadhar till Poshan Tracker app is updated with regional languages: Bombay High Court
Order passed by the High Court of Judicature at Bombay in Writ Petition No. 3854 of 2021 (Anganwadi Karmachari Sanghatana & Others Vs Union of India & Others).
The Bombay High Court, July 5, 2022 in an 'ad-interim relief' directed that allotment of food grains to anganwadi Centres within Maharashtra should not be stopped "on the basis of the functioning and use of POSHAN Tracker Application."
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has been asked to take immediate steps to ensure that regional language options are activated in the software within three months.
The bench of Justices A. K. Menon and M. S. Karnik was hearing the petition filed by Anganwadi Karmachari Sanghatana & Others regarding action against anganwadi workers in Maharashtra for failure to fill in particulars in the Poshan Tracker App in English language.
Assistant Government Pleader for the state of Maharashtra informed the High Court that the Poshan Tracker App does not have an option for entry of data for Aadhar entry in Marathi language.
The petitions and the High Court order was in response to the letter of the Ministry of Women and Child Development addressed to the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories, June 15, 2022 informing them that allocation of funds under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) and foodgrains under Wheat Based Nutrition Programme (WBNP) would be on the basis of number of Aadhaar authenticated beneficiaries available in the Poshan Tracker from the current financial year onwards and that the states should ensure that the exercise of updating the Aadhar seeding of beneficiary data in Poshan Tracker is completed latest by July 15, 2022.
In view of the unavailability of Marathi language in option Aadhar seeding entries have not been completed. Other states have also informed the authorities about this deficiency.