The government has implemented several schemes for the welfare of women, and one of them is the PM Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).
This scheme, launched in 2017, aims to provide financial assistance to pregnant women and new mothers.
In the last eight years, approximately 3.9 crore women have benefited from this scheme, with the government spending around ₹18,000 crore to support them.
What is PMMVY?
The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is designed to offer financial support to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
Under this scheme, a cash assistance of ₹5,000 is given for the first child through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiary’s bank or post office account.
After institutional delivery (delivery in a hospital), women receive additional cash assistance under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, bringing the total average amount received to ₹6,000.
In cases where a woman gives birth to a daughter during her second pregnancy, a lump sum of ₹6,000 is provided. However, this amount is only given if the second child is a daughter.
Eligibility: Who Can Benefit?
Women who fall into any of the following categories can benefit from the PMMVY:
Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women
Women with 40% or more disability
Women holding a BPL (Below Poverty Line) ration card
Beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat (PMJAY)
Women who possess an e-Shram card
Women who are farmers receiving benefits under Kisan Samman Nidhi
Women holding an MNREGA job card
Women whose family income is less than ₹8 lakh annually
Pregnant and lactating Anganwadi workers (AWW), helpers (AWH), and ASHA workers
Women holding a ration card under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013
Any other category prescribed by the Central Government
Women Who Are Not Eligible
Pregnant women who are employed by the Central Government, State Government, or Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), or those already receiving similar maternity benefits under any other law, do not qualify for this scheme.
How Women Can Apply
Eligible women can apply for benefits under the PMMVY scheme through:
Anganwadi workers or Asha workers, who can fill out the online application form for the beneficiary.
Women can also apply directly on the PMMVY portal: https://pmmvy.wcd.gov.in.
Recent Government Response
In response to concerns raised by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi regarding the scheme’s effectiveness due to insufficient funds, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development clarified that between 2010 and 2014, only 16 lakh women received maternity benefits, totaling ₹730 crore.
However, since the launch of PMMVY in 2017, the government has spent ₹18,000 crore and provided benefits to 3.9 crore women.
This update came after Sonia Gandhi raised questions in the Rajya Sabha, highlighting a decline in benefits due to inadequate funding.
