Context: The government’s recent announcement that the maternity benefit programme which provides Rs 5,000 for first child will be extended to cover the second child only if it is a girl has met with sharp criticism from activists who have demanded that it be universalized.
About PMMVY

• Launched in 2017, this scheme provides Rs 5,000 for the birth of the first child to partially compensate a woman for loss of wages.
• It also aims to improve the nutritional well-being of the mother and the child.
• The amount is given in three installments upon meeting certain conditions.
• It is combined with another scheme, Janani Suraksha Yojana, under which nearly Rs 1,000 is given for an institutional birth, so that a woman gets a total of Rs 6,000.

Eligibility Conditions

The first transfer (at pregnancy trimester) of Rs 1,000 requires the mother to:

• Register pregnancy at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) whenever she comes to know about her conception
• Attend at least one prenatal care session and taking Iron-folic acid tablets and TT1 (tetanus toxoid injection), and
• Attend at least one counselling session at the AWC or healthcare centre.

The second transfer (six months of conception) of Rs 2,000 requires the mother to:

• Attend at least one prenatal care session and TT2

The third transfer (three and a half months after delivery) of Rs 2,000 requires the mother to:

• Register the birth
• Immunize the child with OPV and BCG at birth, at six weeks and at 10 weeks
• Attend at least two growth monitoring sessions within three months of delivery

Additionally, the scheme requires the mother to:

• Exclusively breastfeed for six months and introduce complementary feeding as certified by the mother
• Immunize the child with OPV and DPT
• Attend at least two counselling sessions on growth monitoring and infant and child nutrition and feeding between the third and sixth months after delivery

Some of the reasons which has led to exclusion of many beneficiaries under PMMVY
Only for the first born

• Proof of address of marital home: which proves challenging for a newlywed expecting a child and often residing in her natal home during pregnancy. She  is then forced to go from pillar to post to claim benefits.

Minimum age of 19 years:  leaves out younger brides, who hesitate in getting their marriages registered as the legal age of marriage is 18 years.
Husband’s Aadhar Card: Affects single women which include unwed mothers, deserted wives and widows
Tedious documentation: Total 6 application forms to be filled, with total of 30 of 32 pages to be filled by the beneficiary

• As many as 9 IDs to be produced – Aadhaar card, voter ID card; ration card copy of bank passbook and maternal and child protection (MCP) card etc.