Sonia Gandhi Highlights Severe Underfunding of PMMVY
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Synopsis
Sonia Gandhi raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha regarding the severe underfunding of the PM Matru Vandana Yojana and the unmet maternity entitlements under the National Food Security Act. She emphasized the need for adequate budget allocation to support pregnant women in the informal sector.
Key Takeaways
- PMMVY is underfunded, providing insufficient support.
- The National Food Security Act ensures maternity benefits.
- Funds allocated are far below the required amount.
- Only 12% of pregnant women received benefits in the last fiscal year.
- Calls for increasing minimum wages under MGNREGA.
New Delhi, March 26 (NationPress) Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Sonia Gandhi, voiced her concerns in the Rajya Sabha regarding the underfunding of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and the unmet maternity benefits mandated by the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
During her address in the Upper House during Zero Hour, Sonia Gandhi noted that the National Food Security Act, which was established under the leadership of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, serves as the backbone for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.
"The Act provides a maternity benefit of Rs 6,000 per child for pregnant women in the informal sector. However, the PMMVY, initiated in 2017 to meet this requirement, currently offers only Rs 5,000 for the first child," she stated.
Sonia Gandhi also highlighted that the scheme is applicable to the second child only if it is a girl.
Referring to an analysis for the fiscal year 2022-23, Sonia Gandhi revealed that about 68 percent of pregnant women received at least one payment under the PMMVY for their first-born child. However, she expressed alarm at the significant decline to just 12 percent the next year.
"I would like to ask the central government why this was allowed to happen," Sonia Gandhi questioned.
She asserted that an annual budget of around Rs 12,000 crore is essential to successfully implement the maternity benefits.
Additionally, she raised alarms over the absence of specific details regarding the PMMVY funding in the budget documents.
"The allocation for maternity benefits in 2025-26 is merely Rs 2,521 crore," she remarked, indicating that this clearly demonstrates the scheme’s severe underfunding, which breaches the critical provisions of the law enacted by Parliament.
Previously, Sonia Gandhi had called for an increase in the minimum wages under the MGNREGA to Rs 400 and an extension of the maximum workdays to 150.
Sonia Gandhi, who was formerly a Lok Sabha member, now represents Rajasthan in the Rajya Sabha and is one of the 27 Congress MPs in the Upper House.
