Maternity Scheme Underfunded: Sonia Gandhi Sparks Debate on Women’s Welfare in India

Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi also expressed concern over the utter underfinancing of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha. She pointed out that the scheme, introduced in 2017 to give maternity benefits, goes against provisions of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Pregnant women are entitled to ₹6,000 per child under NFSA, but PMMVY gives only ₹5,000 for the first child and benefits the second child only if it is a girl.

Gandhi quoted alarming figures indicating a steep decline in recipients—from 68% getting at least one installment in 2022-23 to only 12% in the next year. She faulted the Union Budget for sanctioning a meager ₹2,521 crore for maternity benefits, woefully short of the much-needed ₹12,000 crore. Gandhi called for quick action to rectify this under-provisioning and for respecting NFSA provisions. 

Sources: Sakshi Post, Indian Express, Deccan Herald