State schemes can cast a lifeline to this welfare plan

Context

• Five years since its introduction, there is vast scope for improvement in the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.

About Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

• On January 1, 2017, the Government rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), where a ‘cash incentive of ₹5,000 is provided directly to the bank/post office account of pregnant women and lactating mothers for the first living child of the family (subject to fulfilling specific conditions relating to maternal and child health)’.
• It is aimed at improving health-seeking behaviour and to compensate for wage loss for pregnant women, particularly in the unorganised sectors. 

Key Challenges

• India accounts for a fifth of the total child

  

  births in the world, with a maternal mortality rate of 113 per 1,00,000 live births.

• The novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in economic shocks for 260 lakh women who deliver on an average a child each year in India.
• Since its inception, the PMMVY has covered 2.01 crore women nationally, disbursing a total amount of ₹8,722 crore.
  • But the annual estimate of the targeted beneficiaries by the Government of India has remained the same over the years.  
• Further, the enrolment and disbursements under the scheme have witnessed a downward fall in the last two years, as in the data provided by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in response to my parliamentary questions.
  • In 2020-21, more than 50% of registered beneficiaries did not receive all three instalments and there was a 9% drop in enrolment under the scheme.
• Despite the Government’s continued emphasis on maternal and child health, the overall budget for women and child development was reduced by 20% for 2021-22.
  • Additionally, Budget allocation for the PMMVY has also been slashed as it has been clubbed under SAMARTHYA along with multiple other schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila Shakti Kendra and Gender Budgeting/Research/Training.

Way Forward

• Centre to improve the PMMVY in line with the states government schemes of Odisha, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, respectively like MAMATA (2011) or the maternity entitlement scheme, the KCR Kit (2017), which has items such as baby oil, soaps, mosquito net and dresses.  
• It is imperative to include second live birth under the maternity benefit cover particularly for women in the unorganised sector who are more vulnerable to economic shocks and nutrition loss for all child births.
• There must be an increase in the maternity benefit amount. Since the primary objective of the PMMVY is to provide partial wage compensation, we need to revisit the maternity benefit amount offered under the scheme.
  • Most women continue to work during and post-pregnancy since they cannot afford to lose wages; additionally, they also spend on out-of-pocket expenses during pregnancy. 
  • In line with the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 which mandates 12 weeks of maternity leave for women with two or more children, pregnant and lactating mothers should receive 12 weeks of wage compensation amounting to ₹15,000.
• Eliminate correction queues. Further, the implementation gaps in the PMMVY scheme lead to reduced coverage. These gaps stem from a lack of awareness within targeted beneficiaries and process level challenges.
  • The current registration form requires a mother and child protection (MPC) card, husband’s Aadhaar card, bank passbook and registration form for each of the three instalments, resulting in delayed, rejected or pending applications.
  • A simplification of the process can result in increased registration of beneficiaries.

Conclusion

• To fulfil India’s commitment towards the Sustainable Development Goal of improving maternal health, an ambitious Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyan and a national maternity benefit scheme are promising initiatives by the Centre. However, targets can be achieved only if we revisit the design and implementation of this scheme, drawing lessons from States such as Odisha which are successfully prioritising maternal health and nutrition in a pragmatic manner.

Source: TH

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