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pmmvy – Failure of Maternity Benefits in India
Context: pmmvy
Even as state governments increasingly roll out cash transfer schemes for women, the most vulnerable among them—pregnant women—continue to be denied their legal right to maternity benefits.
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- Worse still, the limited support that was previously available is shrinking, with the central government bearing primary responsibility for this neglect.
A Legal Right Denied
- NFSA: Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013, all pregnant women (excluding those already covered by formal sector benefits) are entitled to maternity support of ₹6,000 per child.
- At current prices, this should amount to at least ₹12,000, though even that is insufficient.
- Nonetheless, the NFSA’s recognition of universal maternity entitlements was a landmark step in ensuring maternal and child health.
- Maternity benefits are crucial, as even in financially stable households, pregnant women often lack access to adequate nutrition, healthcare, and rest.
- Unfulfilled: Despite this legal mandate, maternity benefits under the NFSA remain unfulfilled.
- Instead, the central government has introduced the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which limits benefits to the first child in a family, recently extending coverage to a second child if it is a girl.
- This restriction blatantly violates the NFSA. Moreover, the benefits under PMMVY have been arbitrarily reduced to ₹5,000 for the first child, falling short of even the NFSA’s already modest provisions.
Lack of Transparency and Shrinking Coverage
- Limited Reach: Even these limited benefits are failing to reach large numbers of eligible women.
- The Ministry of Women and Child Development does not proactively disclose data on PMMVY implementation, violating Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which mandates the publication of basic program details.
- Ineffective Coverage: Responses to RTI queries, however, reveal a bleak picture.
- Effective coverage—defined as the proportion of pregnant women receiving at least one PMMVY instalment—peaked at a mere 36% in 2019-20 before plummeting in subsequent years.
- By 2023-24, effective coverage had crashed to just 9%.
- Less Budget: Budget figures reflect this decline.
- Central government spending on the PMMVY hit an all-time low of ₹870 crore in 2023-24—barely one-third of the amount allocated five years earlier, even in absolute terms.
- To provide coverage to 90% of births at the NFSA’s ₹6,000 threshold, the PMMVY budget should be at least ₹12,000 crore.
Official Justifications and Persistent Challenges
- Discussions with officials from the Department of Women and Child Development at both central and state levels confirm that the PMMVY had almost ground to a halt in 2023-24.
- Officials attributed this to major software and process changes introduced in late 2023.
- However, further examination suggests that the primary issue was not a decline in applications but a drastic reduction in disbursement rates, with technical problems plaguing the system.
- The PMMVY has faced implementation challenges since its launch in 2017, many of which stem from Aadhaar-linked payments and bureaucratic hurdles.
- Instead of addressing these issues, the central government introduced further complications in 2023-24, exacerbating delays and exclusions.
- For the government, however, these obstacles translate into cost savings—raising concerns about whether the inefficiencies are intentional.
Lessons from Tamil Nadu and Odisha
- In stark contrast, Tamil Nadu and Odisha have demonstrated that effective and straightforward maternity benefit programs are possible.
- Tamil Nadu has offered maternity benefits since 1987, and Odisha introduced its scheme in 2009.
- Their programs provide more substantial financial support than the PMMVY—₹10,000 per child in Odisha and ₹18,000 in Tamil Nadu.
- Ahead of the 2024 general elections, Odisha doubled this amount, while Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has pledged to increase it to ₹24,000.
- Beyond the financial support, the implementation of these state programs is significantly better.
- Data from Odisha’s Economic Survey shows that maternity benefits covered around 64% of all births in 2021-22.
- Tamil Nadu achieved an even higher coverage rate of 84% in 2023-24, while PMMVY’s national coverage remained below 10%.
A Stark Contrast in Maternity Benefits
- This discrepancy is particularly striking when compared to the benefits available in India’s formal sector.
- Thanks to a 2017 amendment to the Maternity Benefits Act of 1961, formally employed women are entitled to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave—far exceeding the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 14 weeks.
- Meanwhile, women in the unorganised sector must navigate bureaucratic hurdles for a mere ₹5,000 under the PMMVY, if they receive anything at all. These double standards are glaring.
It is imperative to overhaul the PMMVY to align with the NFSA’s principles, ensuring universal maternity benefits without arbitrary restrictions. The amount should be raised and indexed to inflation to maintain its real value over time. A society’s progress is measured by how well it supports its most vulnerable members. Strengthening maternity benefits is not just a moral obligation—it is an investment in the nation’s future.
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The Source’s Authority and Ownership of the Article is Claimed By THE STUDY IAS BY MANIKANT SINGH
