Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a maternity benefit rechristened from erstwhile Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY). The IGMSY was launched in 2010.

Salient Features

• The scheme is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for first two live births.
• It provides partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and feeding practices.
• In 2013, the scheme IGMSY was brought under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to implement the provision of cash maternity benefit of ₹6,000 stated in the Act.
• The scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under which cost sharing ratio between the Centre and the States & UTs with Legislature is 60:40 while for North-Eastern States & three Himalayan States; it is 90:10. It is 100% Central assistance for Union Territories without Legislature.

Conditional Cash Transfer

The conditional cash transfer needs Aadhaar linkage. It envisages Direct Benefit Transfer of Rs. 5000 in beneficiary’s bank/post office account in three installments as follows:

• At the stage of early registration of pregnancy,
• After six months of pregnancy on at least one antenatal checkup and registration of child birth
• First cycle of immunization of the child.

Significance

India accounts for 17% of all maternal deaths in the world. The country’s maternal mortality rate is pegged at 167 per 100,000 live births, whereas infant mortality is estimated at 43 per 1,000 live births. Among the primary causes of high maternal and infant mortality are poor nutrition and inadequate medical care during pregnancy and childbirth.