In an unusual incident, around 40 unmarried girls from Ramna village in Varanasi received messages meant for pregnant women from the Ministry of Child Development on Diwali, sparking confusion and concern among villagers.

Following complaints, the Chief Development Officer (CDO), Himanshu Nagpal, acknowledged the error and launched an investigation into the matter, delegating it to the District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO). The CDO confirmed that all erroneous data entries have been removed from the portal and attributed the incident to a "human error."

Nagpal explained that complaints from the village indicated that 40 unmarried girls were registered incorrectly as pregnant women on a government portal. As a result, these girls received a message from the Ministry of Child Development on Diwali, stating, "Welcome to Poshan Tracker. As a breastfeeding mother, you can avail services like hot cooked meals or ration, consultation, child health monitoring, and breastfeeding support through home visits with the help of Anganwadi Center."

The message, designed to promote services for pregnant and breastfeeding women, caused confusion and anxiety among the girls and their families. The CDO traced the error to an Anganwadi worker from Ramna village who also serves as a Booth Level Officer (BLO). Currently, as part of the ongoing voter list summary revision, BLOs are required to visit households, collect Aadhaar information for residents above 18 years, and help register them for voter ID cards.

In the process, the Anganwadi worker mistakenly entered the Aadhaar details of these unmarried girls on the pregnancy and childcare portal. This unintended crossover of roles appears to have led to the registration error, which has since been corrected.

The CDO confirmed that, so far, there is no evidence suggesting that the Anganwadi worker distributed nutritional supplements to the unmarried girls. However, an investigation led by the DPRO is underway to clarify all aspects of the incident. "Though this was a mistake, we are thoroughly investigating it to prevent future errors," Nagpal said.

The issue came to light after Ramna village Pradhan, Aarti Patel, received complaints from the affected families. When Patel approached the Anganwadi worker for clarification, the worker reportedly responded unprofessionally, prompting Patel to escalate the complaint to the District Magistrate (DM). The Anganwadi worker's conduct is now under review as part of the ongoing investigation.

"This incident highlights the importance of accurate data handling in government schemes and the need for clarity in responsibilities, especially when employees handle multiple roles. The state has assured that appropriate action will be taken based on the investigation findings," Nagpal said.