Significance of the context

• Demographics: Women and Children collectively constitute over 70% population of our country. 
• Stakeholder of National Growth: Ensuring their empowerment, protection, and holistic development is essential for fostering sustainable and equitable national progress. 

About Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

• About: Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), previously known as the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana, is a maternity benefit program run by the government of India. 
  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is a Centrally-Sponsored scheme and conditional cash transfer scheme of Rs 5000 for pregnant and lactating women 
  • Reorganization of the Scheme: The scheme was brought under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to implement the provision of cash maternity benefit of Rs 5000 along with incentive received under JSY (Rs 1000) would be accounted towards maternity benefits so that on an average a woman gets Rs 6000.
  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana – Disbursement Mechanism:
    • 1st Instalment: Cash incentives in three instalments i.e. first instalment of Rs 1000/– on early registration of pregnancy  at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC)/ approved Health facility as may be identified by the respective administering State/UT.
    • 2nd Instalment: Second instalment of Rs 2000/– after six months of pregnancy on receiving at least one ante-natal check-up (ANC) 
    • 3rd Instalment: Third instalment of Rs 2000/- after child birth is registered and the child has received the first cycle of BCG, OPV, DPT and Hepatitis-B, or its equivalent/ substitute.
• Objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Scheme:
  • Providing partial compensation for the wage loss in terms of cash incentives so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first living child
  • The cash incentive provided would lead to improved health seeking behaviour amongst the Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM). 
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Scheme – Eligibility Conditions and Conditionalities 
  • Targeted Beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: All Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers, excluding PW&LM who are in regular employment with the Central Government or the State Governments or PSUs or those who are in receipt of similar benefits under any law for the time being in force.
  • Mandatory Registration: Register pregnancy at the Anganwadi centre (AWC) upon realizing conception has occurred.
  • Cash Incentive under JSY: The eligible beneficiaries would receive the Rs 5000 incentive along with the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) for Institutional delivery would be accounted towards maternity benefits so that on an average a woman gets Rs 6000.
  • Benefit for Second Girl Child in Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana –The scheme’s benefits have now been extended to include support for a second child, provided that the second child is a girl.
• PMMVY Portal (PMMVYsoft MIS): This portal includes new features such as ‘face authentication technology’ by UIDAI for proper verification of eligible beneficiaries.
  • Additionally, it incorporates NPCI Verification of beneficiary bank accounts to ensure smooth fund transfers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
  • Furthermore, it introduces a paperless online registration system for beneficiaries and Anganwadi/ASHA workers to register directly through the portal.

SWOT Analysis of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Scheme

• Top Performing States: Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Rajasthan are the top five States/UTs in the country in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana or PMMVY.
• Beneficiary coverage: Since its inception, the scheme has benefited more than 3.11 crore women beneficiaries.
• Amount disbursed: The total amount disbursed to the beneficiaries under the scheme has crossed Rs. 14,000 crores.
• Coverage of 2nd girl child: The scheme’s benefits have now been extended to include support for a second child, provided that the second child is a girl.
• Improved Health Indicators: According to Ministry of Women and Child Development, the scheme aims at improvement of the Sex Ratio at Birth by discouraging female foeticide and increasing labour force participation 

Shortcomings of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Scheme

• Performance: In 2021, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana saw a drop in the number of beneficiaries
• Stagnant Growth: Annual estimate of the targeted beneficiaries by the Government of India has remained the same over the years.
• Exclusion Error: Only 40% of the eligible population is covered under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana scheme.
  • It implies that there is an exclusion error of at least 60% since 2017.
• Clubbing budget allocation: Budget allocation for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana has been reduced as it has been clubbed under SAMARTHYA which was allocated Rs. 2,522 crore

Way Forward

• Multisectoral Approach: 
  • In order to ensure good health of women, the same should be tackled at multi-sectoral levels such as eradication of child marriages, access to contraceptives, and healthcare facilities at all levels.
  • Maternal healthcare is no doubt important, but healthcare for women across her lifespan is where the focus should be the most.
  • Promoting better health, regular screening, and preventive care are the areas that require attention
• Extending Maternity Benefits: 
  • The Government shall consider extending the maternity benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana scheme to the second live birth.
  • It is imperative to include a second live birth under the maternity benefit cover, particularly for women in the unorganized sector who are more vulnerable to economic shocks and nutrition loss for all childbirths.
• Learning from the States: 
  • The scheme like MAMATA stands as a testament to an inclusive and efficient implementation of the maternity benefit programme, thereby serving as promising evidence for the Centre to improve the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana in line with the Odisha Government Scheme.
• Increase the Maternity Benefit Amount:
  • The current entitlement of Rs. 5,000 provided over one year amounts to one month’s wage loss.

Mission Shakti

• About: It is an integrated women empowerment programme as umbrella scheme for the safety, security and empowerment of women.
• Components: Mission Shakti comprises of two sub-schemes ‘Sambal’ and ‘Samarthya’ for safety and security of women and the empowerment of women respectively.
  • Sambal Scheme: The existing schemes of One Stop Centres (OSC), Women Helplines and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) have been made part of this sub-scheme and a new component Nari Adalat has been introduced.
  • Samarthya Scheme: It is a scheme under the umbrella scheme Mission Shakti (Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women). It includes schemes such as
    • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
    • Creche services
    • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
    • Gender Budgeting/Research/ Training

Other Schemes for women empowerment

Women Health Status in India 

• Mortality Rate: India’s mortality rate of 97 per 1,00,000 live births is still high. 
• Anemia: 50% of pregnant women in India are anemic.
• Malnutrition of Newborn: Every third child still suffers from chronic undernourishment, and every fifth child is acutely malnourished.
• Sex Ratio at Birth: The UNFPA State of World Population 2020 estimated the sex ratio at birth in India as 910, which is on the lower side of index. 
• Reproductive Health Issues: 70% of women of India are suffering from reproductive tract infections which may lead to infertility, abortions, and similar kinds of problems that are perceived as normal.
• Health of Adolescent Girls: At the adolescent age 70% of the girls are anaemic and their problems related to their menstrual health and hygiene often go unaddressed.