Meghalaya launches digital push for rural childcare workers amid service delivery challenges

Meghalaya has begun equipping its rural childcare workers with mobile phones in a bid to address long-standing communication gaps that have hampered service delivery in remote areas.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma distributed mobile devices to Anganwadi workers from Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills regions during a social welfare program at North-Eastern Hill University on Tuesday, marking the latest effort to digitise grassroots governance in the northeastern state.

The initiative comes as Anganwadi centres across India face persistent challenges in reporting, monitoring, and coordination with district authorities. In Meghalaya's mountainous terrain, communication barriers have particularly affected the tracking of nutrition programs and health interventions for children and pregnant women.

"With technology reshaping governance, empowering our frontline workers with digital tools is a step forward in strengthening service delivery at the grassroots," Sangma said at the event.

The mobile distribution was part of a broader social welfare convergence program that saw the government announce multiple initiatives, including financial aid disbursement under the CM CAREs scheme and infrastructure projects worth several crores.

Sangma laid foundation stones for a Children's Home in Nongstoin and a One Stop Center at Ganesh Das Hospital in Shillong, the latter designed to support women facing violence. The announcements come amid growing concerns about child welfare infrastructure in the state's remote districts.

The government also distributed water filtration systems to Anganwadi centres and provided skill training certificates to women in Shillong and Jowai, indicating a multi-pronged approach to addressing rural development challenges.

Anganwadi workers, who serve over 10 crore beneficiaries nationwide under the Integrated Child Development Services scheme, have long struggled with inadequate resources and communication tools. The mobile phone initiative represents one of the first systematic attempts in the northeast to address these operational challenges through technology.

The program's effectiveness will likely depend on network coverage in Meghalaya's remote areas, where connectivity remains patchy despite recent infrastructure improvements.