Now, a mobile helpline to book anganwadi visits in Chandigarh

According to Kunti, the supervisor who currently attends to the helpline, the number of calls per day have increased significantly since it was launched in September. “The number of calls varies of course, some day there are many, up to 15 calls a day, and other days only about one or two, but on an average day, there at least six calls per day,” said Kunti. According to another Poshan Abhiyan official, Kunti has been trained extensively so she is qualified enough to answer most queries and facilitate solutions.

Beyond booking visits, the landline is used by beneficiaries, who mostly include pregnant women or young mothers, asking questions and making enquiries regarding their and their children’s health. They can also use the helpline to give feedback on anganwadi services and make complaints in case they do not find the behaviour of anganwadi workers satisfactory. “They can give us feedback and also tell us if they have an issue with any of our workers. We will see to it immediately,” said Godwani.

“They ask us about what food they should eat if they are anaemic or about how frequently they have to weigh their new born child. Some of them belong to migrant populations so if they have queries regarding where they have to go and what facilities they can avail from us, we address all of those,” said Kunti. The supervisor told Newsline that once she received a call from a pregnant mother who had to be rushed to a hospital for her delivery. “I had to facilitate an ambulance for her and instruct the local anganwadi helper to assist her. So we cater to whoever calls us in whatever way we can,” she added.