More than 11 lakh women benefited from maternity scheme

More than 11 lakh women have benefited from the maternity scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana' (PMMVY) till date, Parliament was told on Friday.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi told the Lok Sabha, in a written reply, that her ministry has till now spend Rs 271.66 crore for these beneficiaries under the scheme.

"Number of beneficiaries enrolled under PMMVY has increased to 22,04,182. So far, Rs 2,048.59 crores to all the states and Union Territories have been sanctioned under PMMVY out of which Rs 2,048.40 crores have been released till date," she added.

Under the scheme, eligible beneficiaries get Rs 5,000 and the remaining cash incentive of Rs 1,000 for maternity benefit is given under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) after institutional delivery, it said.

Maternity benefits under PMMVY are given to all pregnant and lactating mothers. The scheme aims at providing partial compensation for wage loss in terms of cash incentives so that the woman can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first living child.