Mission Poshan 2.0 Integrates FRS for Efficient, Secure Nutrition Delivery

As of 5 August 2025, face capturing and e-KYC have been completed for 3.69 crore of the 4.91 crore eligible THR beneficiaries — achieving 75.12% coverage.

In a significant step towards tackling malnutrition, the Government of India has subsumed multiple programmes — including Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyaan, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in Aspirational Districts and the North-Eastern region — under the Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 (Mission Poshan 2.0). This centrally sponsored umbrella mission, launched under the 15th Finance Commission framework, places the responsibility for implementation on States and Union Territories, ensuring localised execution while following national guidelines.

The mission follows a life cycle approach to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, providing Supplementary Nutrition to children aged 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. Beneficiaries are entitled to nutrition support as per the Schedule-II norms of the National Food Security Act, which were revised in January 2023.

Unlike the earlier calorie-centric model, the revised standards focus on balanced, diverse diets — incorporating quality proteins, healthy fats, and essential micronutrients — to meet holistic nutritional needs.

Facial Recognition System for Last-Mile Delivery

To improve transparency and ensure benefits reach the rightful recipients, a Facial Recognition System (FRS) module has been integrated into the Poshan Tracker application. Initially piloted in August 2024 and rolled out nationwide on an optional basis in December 2024, the system became mandatory from July 1, 2025 for verifying Take Home Ration (THR) beneficiaries.

Under this system:

• Beneficiaries are verified through Aadhaar-based eKYC along with a liveliness image capture.

• Onboarding is a one-time process, after which monthly THR collections require only face matching (online or offline).

• Offline verification ensures accessibility in low-connectivity areas, and the feature is compatible with low-end smartphones.

• For children under 6 years, where Bal Aadhaar lacks biometric data, the FRS of the mother, father, or guardian is used instead.

As of 5 August 2025, face capturing and e-KYC have been completed for 3.69 crore of the 4.91 crore eligible THR beneficiaries — achieving 75.12% coverage.

Capacity Building and Field Support

The roll-out has been supported by regular training sessions for Anganwadi workers, conducted by National e-Governance Division (NeGD) State Coordinators. Officials from the Ministry of Women and Child Development and State authorities have also carried out field visits and technical review meetings to address operational challenges and ensure smooth implementation.

Robust Data Protection Measures

Given the sensitivity of biometric data, the system incorporates multiple privacy and security safeguards:

• Purpose limitation and informed consent for all data collected.

• End-to-end encryption of all face verification requests and responses.

• No permanent image storage on devices; cached data is auto-wiped on logout.

• Data is accessible only to authorised personnel for verification purposes.

• The Poshan Tracker is role-based, monitored, and inaccessible to the public.

• Internal databases are encrypted, with face images processed in encoded formats.

These measures aim to maintain public trust while enhancing the efficiency of welfare delivery.

Government's Commitment to Nutritional Security

Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur, in her reply to the Lok Sabha, reiterated the government's dedication to using technology to strengthen service delivery in nutrition programmes. She highlighted that Mission Poshan 2.0 not only unifies multiple schemes under a common platform but also modernises beneficiary identification and monitoring to ensure accurate, timely, and corruption-free distribution of nutritional support.

By integrating technology-driven verification with a holistic nutrition strategy, Mission Poshan 2.0 is positioned as a key instrument in India's fight against malnutrition, while also safeguarding the privacy and dignity of its beneficiaries.