Kavaratti: The Lakshadweep Administration has decided to digitise all the 87 Anganwadi Centres and various activities under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in the union territory (UT), the first in the country to do so.

This would help to monitor and evaluate the Anganwadi activities in the geographically isolated islands of the UT.

Talking about the initiative, UT Administrator BV Selvaraj said that the digitisation will integrate the programmes under ICDS and would enhance women and child development in the country.

The ICDS is a globally recognised community based early child care programme which addresses the basic inter-related needs of young children, expectant and nursing mothers and adolescent girls across the lifecycle in a holistic manner.

Sources at the Department of Women and Child Development said that the first phase of computerisation for this project will be completed by April-May 2008.

The Department is also working towards ensuring that selected Anganwadi workers are given proper computer education with the help of the UT Information Technology Department and National Informatics Centre (NIC), before the infrastructure for the project roll out is completed.

It would ensure the well-being and growth of women and children, which finds expression in the Constitution and is well woven into the spirit of the Indian polity, besides fully realising the objectives of ICDS.
—iGovernment Bureau