BENGALURU: Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Union and Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samity (BGVS) organised a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss the introduction of facial recognition software in anganwadis and public schools.
The meeting came in the light of the implementation of mandatory facial recognition for take-home rations in the country’s anganwadis through the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme, and the recent introduction of the same software by the state government to measure teacher attendance in Karnataka’s public schools.
Several anganwadi workers, academics and activists stood united in the open meeting at Gandhi Bhavan here to question the intent behind the introduction of the facial recognition software by the Centre, and the state government’s eager compliance to it.
Economist Dipa Sinha, an active proponent at the Right to Food campaign, mentioned how this implementation comes as a distraction to existing problems, which include a stagnant budget allocation for anganwadi food since 2017, despite the market inflation. “The food is sub-par; facial recognition does nothing.”
She went on to mention that if any genuine intent existed towards social welfare, funds would go towards improving the quality of the food. “(Almost) 14 lakh anganwadis exist in India right now, because people fought on the streets and in the courts. It is upon us to protect what we fought for,” she said.
Drawing attention to the lack of research backing the software’s need, the lack of transparency towards the public, and the unilateral decision-making process without any consultation, BGVS vice-president Subhankar Chkaraborty said, “This is not a policy towards social welfare. It is an instrument to ensure lesser budgets for social welfare.”