Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: All You Need To Know

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a flagship government scheme to support pregnant and lactating mothers regulated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development Department. The programme offers maternity benefits to women from socially and economically weaker sections of society or below the poverty line. Under the scheme, the first two children are eligible for the benefits, provided one is a girl child. The male child gets Rs 5,000, and the female child gets Rs 6,000. The money is provided in two instalments for a male child and in a single instalment for a female child. If the second child is also a girl, she will receive the same Rs 6,000 in one instalment post-birth under the scheme.

The scheme provides the same benefits for miscarriage or stillbirth. Also, the mother is eligible for cash incentives under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) if the children are born in a hospital or a medical centre. The PMMVY 2.0, effective April 1, 2022, aims to promote positive behavioural changes towards girl children, improve the sex ratio at birth and stop female feticide.

Benefits

The cash incentives for the first child are provided in two instalments, with the first instalment based on registration of pregnancy and at least one antenatal checkup within six months from the last menstrual period date at the Anganwadi Centre or approved health facilities. The second instalment is 3,000 for childbirth and receives all necessary vaccines until the age of 14 weeks, as admissible under the Universal Immunisation Programme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The second instalment is 2,000 for a girl child, with registration and vaccinations up to 14 weeks. If a miscarriage or stillbirth occurs, the beneficiary will be treated as a fresh beneficiary for future pregnancies.

Eligibility

The PMMVY scheme is for pregnant women aged 19 or older, who are employed and facing wage loss due to pregnancy. The scheme is applicable for the first live birth, and eligible beneficiaries can apply within 270 days of childbirth. If a beneficiary has multiple children, they will receive an incentive for the second child as per PMMVY 2.0 norms. Socially and economically disadvantaged sections of the society include women from scheduled castes and tribes, partially or fully disabled, BPL ration card holders, beneficiaries under PMJAY, e-Shram cards, farmers, MGNREGA job card holders, net family incomes under Rs 8 lakh per annum, pregnant and lactating women, and those holding ration cards under the NFSA Act 2013.