The number of beneficiaries of the Centre’s maternity benefit scheme has more than 2 crore, the government said in a year-end release.
The ministry of women and child development said that as on December 24, 2021, over 2.17 crore women have benefitted from the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Scheme. A total amount of Rs 9,457 crores has been disbursed under the scheme, the ministry said.
Aimed at reaching pregnant and lactating mothers, the scheme is a conditional cash transfer one for pregnant women and new mothers over the age of 19 years.
A cash incentive of Rs 5,000 is provided to the women in three installments, and the amount is sent directly to the bank or post office account of the pregnant woman or lactating mother in DBT mode during pregnancy and lactation.
“It is a measure for women empowerment through wage compensation and promotion of health seeking behaviour,” the WCD ministry said in its release.
The scheme, initially brought in place in 2010, was revamped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2017, during which the Centre brought down the beneficiaries from the first two children to the firstborn.
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