Context:

  • The Ministry of Women and Child Development has extended the special registration drive for PMMVY till 15 August 2025.
  • Focus: Door-to-door awareness-cum-enrolment campaign by Anganwadi and ASHA workers.
  • Objective: Ensure all eligible Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) are registered and benefit from the scheme.

ABOUT PMMVY

Feature Details
Launched 2017
Type Centrally Sponsored Scheme
Under Mission Shakti ? Sub-scheme: Samarthya
Objective Provide partial wage compensation, promote health-seeking behaviour, and improve maternal and child health outcomes
Mode of Payment Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

INCENTIVES OFFERED

Child Amount Instalments
First Child ₹5,000 In two instalments
Second Child (Girl only) ₹6,000 In one instalment post-birth

Progress So Far (As of July 31, 2025):

  • 4.05 crore women have received at least one instalment.
  • Total disbursed: ₹19,028 crore via DBT to Aadhaar-seeded bank/post office accounts.

TECHNOLOGY & IMPLEMENTATION

PMMVYSoft (Launched March 2023):

  • Central digital platform for registration, tracking, and payments.
  • Used by State/UT field officials for seamless implementation.

Digital Features:

  • Aadhaar authentication via UIDAI.
  • NPCI verification to ensure DBT success.
  • Integrated Grievance Module.
  • Toll-free multilingual helpline: 14408.
  • Facial Recognition System (FRS) for Aadhaar-based biometric authentication.
  • Due-list of potential beneficiaries for proactive enrolment.

Implementation Partners:

  • Frontline Workers: Anganwadi Workers and ASHA Workers.
  • Banking Partners: DBT-enabled, Aadhaar-seeded accounts via NPCI.

CHALLENGES & WAY FORWARD

  • Aadhaar-related issues (linking, biometric mismatches).
  • Low awareness in remote/rural regions.
  • Delay in registration or instalments.
  • Exclusion due to digital divide.

Way Forward:

  • Strengthen door-to-door campaigns.
  • Monitor backend failures (Aadhaar seeding/DBT errors).
  • Expand PMMVYSoft analytics for real-time monitoring.
  • Ensure timely grievance redressal via helpline and integrated modules.