Matru Vandana Yojana achieves record 4.05 crore beneficiaries; registration deadline extended to August 15
The PMMVY offers cash incentives as partial compensation for wage loss to enable mothers to rest before and after delivery of the first child.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Women and Child Development on Monday extended the special registration drive for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) till 15 August. The awareness drive spearheaded by the Anganwadi and ASHA workers, aims to provide aid to all eligible pregnant and lactating women and ensure their timely registration under the scheme. PMMVY provides financial assistance to support nutritious diets and improve health seeking behaviour amongst the pregnant women & lactating mothers, and promotes positive attitudes toward the girl child.
The PMMVY offers cash incentives as partial compensation for wage loss to enable mothers to rest before and after delivery of the first child. Since the scheme's inception, more than 4.05 crore beneficiaries have been paid the maternity benefit (at least one instalment) amounting to Rs 19,028 crore through direct benefit transfer in their bank/post office accounts.
Several cash incentives
The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is a centrally sponsored scheme under Mission Shakti’s sub-scheme 'Samarthya', providing direct financial assistance through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. Under PMMVY, a cash incentive of Rs 5,000 is provided in two installments for the first child, and Rs 6,000 is provided in one installment post-birth for the second girl child, in accordance with Mission Shakti Scheme Guidelines. The scheme aims to improve health-seeking behaviour among Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers and ensure better maternal and child health outcomes across the country.
PMMVYSoft ensures transparency
The scheme was implemented by officials of States and UTs through their field functionaries using the new Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Software (PMMVYSoft) that was launched in March, 2023. Under the scheme, Aadhaar authentication through UIDAI is done digitally and National Payment Corporations of India (NPCI) verification is ensured so that funds are directly transferred to their DBT-enabled Aadhaar-seeded bank or post office accounts.
Several reforms have been introduced in the PMMVY portal, to ensure smoother delivery and greater coverage of the scheme, such as introduction of Integrated Grievance Module, Multi-lingual and Toll-free PMMVY Helpline (14408), Aadhar-based biometric authentication using Facial Recognition System (FRS) and Due-list of potential PMMVY beneficiaries.