0
0
The Union government has extended the special registration drive for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) scheme, aimed at providing financial assistance to pregnant and lactating women, until August 15, as announced by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Launched in 2010 and renamed in 2017, PMMVY supports nutritious diets and promotes positive health-seeking behaviors among pregnant women and new mothers, while also encouraging positive attitudes toward the girl child.
Under PMMVY, eligible beneficiaries receive cash incentives as partial compensation for wage loss, helping mothers rest before and after delivery of their first child. As of July 31, over 4.05 crore beneficiaries have been paid maternity benefits amounting to Rs 19,028 crore via direct benefit transfers to their bank or post office accounts.
The ongoing door-to-door awareness and enrollment campaign, led by Anganwadi and ASHA workers, is committed to ensuring timely registration of all eligible pregnant and lactating women. PMMVY functions as a centrally sponsored scheme under the Mission Shakti sub-scheme ‘Samarthya’ and utilizes an upgraded software platform, PMMVYSoft, launched in March 2023. This platform integrates Aadhaar authentication through UIDAI and uses NPCI verification to ensure seamless fund transfers directly to beneficiaries’ Aadhaar-seeded bank or post office accounts.
The scheme provides Rs 5,000 in two installments for the first child, and Rs 6,000 in one installment after birth for the second girl child, in accordance with the Mission Shakti scheme guidelines. Recent portal reforms have introduced an integrated grievance module, a multilingual and toll-free PMMVY helpline (14408), Aadhaar-based biometric authentication using facial recognition, and a due-list system for potential beneficiaries to ensure wider coverage and smoother delivery of benefits.
This drive emphasizes improving maternal and child health outcomes across India by directly supporting women during pregnancy and lactation.
Disclaimer: This news article is based on the information released by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and reported by Tripura Times. For the latest updates and further details, official government sources should be consulted.
