Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

The government of India brings in several welfare initiatives and schemes for the people of India from time to time, keeping in mind the developing nature of the economy and society and its needs. One such scheme focussing on the health of pregnant and lactating women of India is the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). Various health sector schemes have been designed and implemented to date, but any scheme highlighting the importance of pregnant women has not been brought into policymaking. This scheme covers all those problem areas very well. 

What is Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana? 

The government scheme of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is a Maternity Benefit Policy Government Programme implemented in all the districts in the entirety of the nation of India in concordance with the regulations and points of the National Food Security Act, 2013.

The scheme of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana has the following objectives to follow: 

1. The scheme intends to provide partial compensation in the form of cash in return for the loss of wage suffered by women so that they can take sufficient rest before and after the delivery of the first child takes place. The child should be living and not stillbirth.

2. The cash inducement would facilitate better health vouching for behaviour amongst the Pregnant Women and the Lactating Mothers (PW& LM).

The following forms the target beneficiaries for the scheme: 

• The category comprises Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers, which would exclude those in daily employment with the Central Government or the State Governments or PSUs or those who receive similar benefits under any law in force for a continuous period. 

• All entitled Pregnant and Lactating Women who get pregnant with their first offspring on or after 1st July 2017.

Underlying Issues with PPMVY(Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana) 

The following issues could be found in the successful implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: 

1. Lack of Coverage: Only 40% of the eligible population of PW & LM has been covered to date under the scheme. This proves that the scheme Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana has not been able to include women of the eligible category adequately, and 60% of them were left behind in 2017, as per government records.

2. Reduced enrollment under the scheme: The enrollment through the scheme has seen a decrease in the last two years, referencing the data provided by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). In 2020-21, more than half of the enrolled beneficiaries did not receive the three instalments, with a 9% drop in enrollment under the scheme.

3. The reduced budget allocated: The amount set aside for the scheme was reduced by 20% of the overall budget in the financial year 2021-22. Also, combining the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana scheme with the SAMARTHYA scheme has reduced the budget allotment for the PMMVY. The overarching budget of SAMARTHYA is ₹2,522 crore, which is almost equal to the budget of the PMMVY scheme seen in the previous years. 

4. Insufficient scheme incentive amount: Most women have been forced to work during and after pregnancy. They cannot manage with reduced or no wage policy during pregnancy followed by various employers. 

Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana 

The following are the two benefits of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: 

1. The incentives are given in three instalments: The first instalment of ₹1,000 is given when the registrant applies during the early stage of pregnancy at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) or any approved Health facility has been identified by that specific administering State/ UT. The further second instalment of ₹2000/- is received after six months of pregnancy. 

2. The eligible women would get the incentive through the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) scheme for Institutional delivery, which would be included in maternity benefits, totalling ₹6,0000. 

Conclusion

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, as a government policy and scheme, has been thus designed to be instrumental in improving the conditions of pregnant and lactating mothers. This scheme aims to help such mothers to enhance their health as well as increase their capacity to breastfeed and provide nourishment to their young ones in the initial six months of birth. Thus, the scheme is well designed and should be implemented with full rigour and precision to achieve the required results, to address Underlying Issues with PMMVY and the Inclusive Measures taken in the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. The health and health security of pregnant and lactating women should be kept at utmost importance to decrease the maternal mortality rate in our country.