THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TOOLS ON HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN ICDS: A STUDY OF THE POSHAN TRACKER APP WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE IN JAIPUR DISTRICT OF RAJASTHAN

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is India’s largest community-based welfare program, delivering nutrition, health, and early childhood services through a vast network of Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and supervisors. Traditionally, manual recordkeeping and reporting created delays, inconsistencies, and gaps in workforce management and service delivery. The introduction of digital tools, particularly the Poshan Tracker, represents a transformative step toward modernizing Human Resource Management (HRM) and strengthening performance monitoring within ICDS. This study investigates how the Poshan Tracker influences HR practices—including attendance tracking, reporting, payroll processes, and accountability—and evaluates its role in improving performance monitoring mechanisms in Jaipur District (Urban and Rural block) of Rajasthan. Preliminary insights suggest that the Poshan Tracker has enhanced transparency, reduced paperwork, and improved data-driven decision-making, while also creating new challenges such as digital literacy gaps, device-related issues, and increased data entry responsibilities for frontline workers. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on digital transformation in public welfare programs, offering policy recommendations for scaling digital HRM tools across ICDS and similar initiatives to optimize workforce efficiency and service outcomes.