Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Completes Nine Years

The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a flagship Centrally Sponsored Scheme, has completed nine years of implementation. Launched on 1st January 2017, the scheme is executed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to provide maternity benefits to Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM).

Objectives and Features of PMMVY

• Compensation for Wage Loss: The primary objective is to provide partial compensation for wage loss in cash incentives so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery.
• Health Seeking Behaviour: It aims to improve health-seeking behaviour among PW&LM by incentivising institutional delivery and immunisation.
• Direct Benefit Transfer: The incentive is disbursed directly to the bank or post office account of the beneficiary linked to Aadhaar.
• Target Population: All Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers, excluding those in regular employment with the Central Government, State Governments, or Public Sector Undertakings.

Revised Benefits and PMMVY 2.0

Cash Incentives for First Child

Beneficiaries receive a total of ₹5,000 in two instalments for the first child. The first instalment of ₹3,000 is provided upon early registration of pregnancy and at least one Antenatal Check-up (ANC). The second instalment of ₹2,000 is given after the registration of the birth and the child receiving the first cycle of BCG, OPV, DPT, and Hepatitis-B vaccinations.

Support for Second Child (Girl Child)

Under the revamped Mission Shakti (PMMVY 2.0), the scheme was expanded to provide a lumpsum amount of ₹6,000 for the second child, provided the second child is a girl. This specific provision is designed to discourage pre-birth sex selection and promote the birth of girl children in alignment with the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ initiative.

Integration with Mission Shakti

PMMVY is now a sub-scheme under the ‘Samarthya’ component of Mission Shakti. Mission Shakti is an integrated women empowerment programme which encompasses ‘Sambal’ (safety and security) and ‘Samarthya’ (empowerment). Since its inception, the scheme has covered over 3 crore beneficiaries, significantly contributing to the reduction of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) across Indian states.