The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: India’s Commitment to Maternal Welfare
Motherhood is a sacred journey, but for many women in India, it comes with challenges that extend beyond the joys of childbirth. From inadequate healthcare access to financial constraints, the journey of pregnancy and childbirth can be fraught with difficulties. Recognizing this, the Government of India introduced the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) as a crucial step towards ensuring the well-being of mothers and their newborns. Let’s explore the significance, objectives, and impact of this transformative initiative.
Addressing Maternal Health Challenges in India
Pregnancy and childbirth can pose risks to both mothers and newborns, particularly in resource-constrained settings. In India, maternal health challenges include high maternal mortality rates due to preventable causes, inadequate access to quality healthcare, low antenatal care coverage, maternal malnutrition and anaemia, gender discrimination impacting healthcare access, and insufficient healthcare infrastructure and human resources. These challenges are exacerbated by socio-economic disparities and cultural factors, highlighting the need for comprehensive strategies to improve maternal health outcomes.
PMMVY seeks to address these challenges by providing financial assistance and promoting healthcare access for pregnant and lactating women across the country.
Understanding the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a flagship maternity benefit program launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, with the primary objective of aiding pregnant women and lactating mothers. This centrally sponsored scheme aims to provide maternity benefits to women hailing from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Launched on January 1, 2017, PMMVY strives to provide financial support to pregnant and lactating mothers during their first childbirth. Under this scheme, eligible beneficiaries receive cash incentives for the first two live-born children, with the stipulation that the second child is a female. Its overarching goal is to cater to the health and nutritional needs of pregnant and breastfeeding women with the ultimate aim of reducing maternal and infant mortality rates and fostering healthy child development. [1]
The Aim and Objective of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
- Financial Support: PMMVY provides conditional cash transfers to eligible pregnant and lactating mothers with the aim of offering financial aid to improve their nutritional status and overall well-being.
- Healthcare access: By incentivizing ANC check-ups and institutional deliveries, PMMVY encourages pregnant women to seek timely and essential healthcare services, thereby reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
- Nutritional Support: PMMVY promotes proper nutrition during pregnancy and lactation, thereby improving maternal and child health outcomes. [2]
Key Features and Benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
Some salient features and benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana launched by the Government of India include:
Eligibility
- The applicant must be at least 19 years old and pregnant.
- She should be employed and experiencing wage loss due to pregnancy.
- The scheme is only eligible for the first childbirth.
- Eligible beneficiaries can apply for benefits under the PMMVY scheme within 270 days from childbirth.
- In the case of a beneficiary delivering twins, triplets, or quadruplets in her second pregnancy, with one or more children being girls, she will receive incentives for the second girl child according to PMMVY 2.0 guidelines. [1]
Benefits
- First Installment: An amount of Rs. 1,000 is provided upon the early registration of pregnancy at an Anganwadi Centre (AWC) or a recognized healthcare facility.
- Second Installment: A sum of Rs. 2,000 can be claimed after six months of pregnancy subsequent to undergoing at least one antenatal check-up (ANC).
- Third Installment: The third installment of Rs. 2,000 is provided upon the registration of the child’s birth and after the child has received the first cycle of BCG, OPV, DPT, and Hepatitis-B vaccinations, or their equivalent. [2]
Eligible beneficiaries will receive the remaining cash incentive according to approved guidelines for the Maternity Benefit under JSY after institutional delivery at a healthcare facility, resulting in an average total of Rs. 6,000 for each woman. [2]
Pradhan Mantri Matro Vandana Yojana 2.0 (PMMVY 2.0)
PMMVY 2.0 refers to an updated version or iteration of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) scheme. PMMVY 2.0 aims to encourage a positive shift in attitudes towards girl children by offering an extra cash incentive for the second child, if it is a girl. Therefore, for the second child, a benefit of ₹6,000 will be provided in a single installment after birth. This initiative is intended to help improve the sex ratio at birth by discouraging female feticide. Additionally, in the unfortunate event of miscarriage or stillbirth, the beneficiary will be considered a new beneficiary for any subsequent pregnancies. [1]
Implementation and Impact
Both the central and state governments closely oversee the implementation of the scheme through a web-based software application called PMMVY-CAS. This application is compatible with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for the verification of unique beneficiaries and their bank accounts.
Since its inception, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) has enrolled over 3.11 crore beneficiaries, with maternity benefits totaling more than Rs. 12,150 crores disbursed to over 2.77 crore beneficiaries as of November 21, 2022. [2, 3]
Conclusion
The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana represents a significant step towards prioritizing maternal and child health in India. By providing financial assistance and incentivizing healthcare-seeking behaviour among pregnant and lactating women, PMMVY not only supports mothers during a critical phase of their lives but also lays the foundation for a healthier and more prosperous future for generations to come. As PMMVY continues to evolve and adapt to changing needs, its role in advancing maternal health remains pivotal, reaffirming the government’s pledge to prioritize the well-being of mothers and their newborns.
Author: Dr. Anjali Singh
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