• Source:JND
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Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday criticised the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), calling it "severely underfunded." Sonia Gandhi highlighted a drastic fall in entitlements for pregnant women, raising concerns about the declining number of beneficiaries.

During Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Sonia Gandhi questioned the government on the steep drop in beneficiaries. She cited an analysis for 2022-23, which found that while 68 per cent of pregnant women received at least one installment of PMMVY for their first child, this figure plummeted to 12 per cent in the following year.

The Congress veteran pointed out that under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013, pregnant women were entitled to maternity benefits of Rs 6,000 per child. However, PMMVY, launched in 2017, reduced this to Rs 5,000 and limited the benefit for a second child only if it is a girl.

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She also questioned why PMMVY does not have a separate mention in the Union Budget. According to her, the proper implementation of maternity benefits requires an annual budget of Rs 12,000 crore. However, in the 2025-26 Budget, only Rs 2,521 crore has been allocated under "Samarthya," a broader scheme under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, of which PMMVY is just one component.

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This marks the second time in the ongoing Budget Session that Sonia Gandhi has raised concerns over government policies. Earlier, on March 18, she criticised the dilution of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

(With PTI Inputs)