Five years after its launch, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana has huge potential for improvement
India accounts for a fifth of the total child births in the world, with a maternal mortality rate of 113 per 100,000 live births. On January 1, 2017, the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), where a cash incentive of ₹5,000 is provided directly into the bank/post office account of pregnant women and lactating mothers for the first surviving child. Family (Subject to fulfillment of specific conditions relating to maternal and child health)’. It aims to improve health-seeking behavior and compensate for wage loss to pregnant women, especially in the unorganized sector. However, the scheme has been underperforming, with the urgent need for reform especially when the novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in economic setbacks for the 260 lakh women who give birth to an average of one child every year in India.
How is the fare for PMMVY
Since its inception, PMMVY has covered 2.01 crore women nationally, disbursing a total amount of ₹8,722 crore. But the annual estimate of beneficiaries targeted by the Government of India has remained the same over the years. While the estimated eligible population of pregnant and lactating mothers in India was 128.7 lakh for 2017-18 (as per a report by the Center for Policy Research 2019-20), the target set by the government was 51.70 lakh beneficiaries, which is Only 40% of the eligible population. This means we have an exclusion error of at least 60% since 2017, as the target has remained unchanged over the years. Moreover, enrollment and disbursements under the scheme have seen a decline in the last two years, as per 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 the registered beneficiaries did not get all the three installments and enrollment under the scheme declined by 9%.
Despite the government’s continued emphasis on maternal and child health, the overall budget for women and child development for 2021-22 was reduced by 20%. Additionally, the budget allocation for PMMVY has also been reduced as it has been clubbed with several other schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila Shakti Kendra and gender budget/research/training under SAMARTHYA. The total budget of SAMARTHYA is ₹2,522 crore, which is almost equal to the budget of PMMVY in the last financial years alone.
states lead the way
While the Center launched the PMMVY scheme at the national level, states such as Odisha, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, respectively, chose to implement state-specific schemes for maternity benefits in the form of Mamta (2011) or Maternity Eligibility Scheme. KCR Kits (2017), containing items like baby oil, soap, mosquito nets and clothes, and Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme (MRMBS) with relatively increased coverage and higher maternity benefits. Odisha’s Mamata, for example, has been offering conditional cash transfers of ₹5,000 as maternity benefit for two live births for over a decade.
In a comparative analysis between PMMVY and Mamta for 2020-21, PMMVY showed poor performance with a 52% drop in the number of beneficiaries covered, while Mamta showed a 57% increase in women receiving all installments . The scheme stands as a testament to the inclusive and efficient implementation of the maternity benefit programme, thereby serving as promising evidence for the Center to reform PMMVY in line with the Odisha government’s plan.
steps to take
Here is the way forward for PMMVY. Extend the maternity benefit under PMMVY till the second live birth.
The earlier scheme, Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana was applicable for two live births. According to the Sample Registration Survey 2018, 49.5% of the total live births in India consist of first order births and 29.9% are second order births. It is mandatory to include second live birth under maternity benefit cover especially for unorganized women. Areas that are most vulnerable to economic shock and nutritional loss account for all births.
The amount of maternity benefit should be increased. Since the primary objective of 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 pregnancy and even after pregnancy because they cannot afford to lose wages; Apart from this, they also spend from their own pocket during pregnancy. The current entitlement of ₹5,000 provided in a year is equivalent to one month’s wage loss (wage rate of ₹202 as per Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). As per the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, which mandates 12 weeks of maternity leave for women with two or more children, pregnant and lactating mothers should get 12 weeks of salary compensation amounting to ₹15,000.
simplify the process
Eliminate correction queues. Moreover, the implementation gap in PMMVY scheme leads to less coverage. These gaps stem from lack of awareness and process level challenges within the target beneficiaries. The current registration form requires a mother and child protection (MPC) card, husband’s Aadhar card, bank passbook and registration form for each of the three installments, resulting in delayed, rejected or pending applications. Simplification of process may result in increase in registration of beneficiaries.
To fulfill India’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal of improving maternal health, an ambitious Prime Minister’s Samagra Poshan Yojana (POSHAN) campaign and a National Maternity Benefit Scheme are promising initiatives by the Centre. However, the targets can be achieved only if we revisit the design and implementation of the scheme, taking lessons from states like Odisha, which are successfully prioritizing maternal health and nutrition in practice.
Amar Patnaik, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Odisha, was the Principal Accountant General under the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. he is also a lawyer
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