Sonia Gandhi alleges government’s maternity benefits underfunded, not being disbursed efficiently
Sonia Gandhi stated in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is “severely underfunded” and is not being disbursed to the entitled pregnant women. She demanded that the funds be increased and disbursed more efficiently to the intended beneficiaries.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Gandhi said, “The non-fulfilment of maternity entitlements under the National Food Security Act, 2013, and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is a pressing concern. The National Food Security Act was passed by Parliament in September 2013 under the leadership of Dr.
Manmohan Singh. It has been the foundation for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. The Act includes a maternity entitlement of Rs.
6,000 per child as maternity entitlement for pregnant women in the informal sector.”
She lamented that only a miniscule percentage of the funds are being given to the beneficiaries.
“The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), launched in 2017, seeks to fulfil this entitlement but it provides only Rs. 5,000 for the first child that is extended to the second child if it's a girl. According to an informed analysis for 2022-23, about 68% of pregnant women received at least one instalment of PMMVY for the first birth but in the very next year this proportion fell drastically to just around 12%.