Latest news with #PMMVY
News18
a day ago
- Health
- News18
Two Arunachal districts secure top position in PMMVY enrollment
Itanagar, Jul 30 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh has made significant strides in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), with Anjaw and Pakke Kessang districts securing the top two positions nationally in percentage enrollment progress. According to the latest report of the Union Women and Child Development ministry, released on July 25, Anjaw district achieved a remarkable 354 per cent of its indicative enrollment target, ranking first in India. Pakke Kessang followed closely with 313 per cent, placing second nationwide. The progress has propelled Arunachal Pradesh's overall performance in the PMMVY rankings, lifting the state from the bottom tier to the 6th position among all states and union territories. Other districts of the state showing strong performance include Lower Dibang Valley (147%), Lower Siang (114%), and East Siang (61%), all of which have exceeded their set targets. However, districts such as Shi-Yomi, Lower Subansiri, and Leparada reported less than 10% progress, prompting officials to intensify outreach and registration efforts in those areas. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a centrally sponsored flagship scheme by the Women and Child Development ministry is designed to support pregnant women and lactating mothers. The scheme is to provide maternity benefits to women belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged sections of society. The maternity benefit is to be provided to a woman for the first two living children, provided the second child is a girl. With renewed focus on grassroots implementation and awareness campaigns, state authorities remain optimistic about closing the gaps and ensuring full coverage across all 28 districts. PTI UPL UPL RG view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 12:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New Indian Express
19-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Serve nutritious food to children at Anganwadi centres in Andhra, officials told
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh State Food Commission conducted a review meeting on Friday at its office in Vijayawada, chaired by Chairman Chitta Vijaya Pratap Reddy, to evaluate the implementation of key welfare schemes. The review covered the Public Distribution System (PDS), Anganwadi services under the Women and Child Development Department, the Dokka Seethamma Mid-Day Meal Scheme, welfare hostels, and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). Vijaya Pratap Reddy instructed officials to ensure the regular and proper distribution of ration items to all cardholders. He stressed the importance of supplying nutritious food, such as eggs, Balamrutham, and Bala Sanjeevani, to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children at Anganwadi centres as per government norms. He also directed that meals, including chickpeas and eggs, be served to students in welfare hostels and schools strictly in line with the prescribed menu. Under PMMVY, he noted that the Centre provides Rs 5,000 assistance for a woman's first delivery, while the State gover nment of fers an additional Rs 1,000 in rural areas and Rs 600 in urban areas. For a second delivery, if the child is a girl, the State provides Rs 6,000. He urged strict adherence to disbursal norms. The Chairman warned that any irregularities in implementation would result in fines, legal action, and recommendations for disciplinary measures against negligent officials. Commission members and representatives from various departments participated.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Defunct state women commission a concern in J'khand: Union min
M inistry of women and child development minister and Koderma MP Annapurna Devi talks to Kritika Tiwary on her agenda and ongoing efforts to uplift women and children nationwide. Excerpts: How many women and child development projects are currently active in Jharkhand? At present, there are over 37,815 anganwadi centres in the state. Of them, more than 16,700 centres have been approved under the Saksham Anganwadi initiative, which includes facilities like clean drinking water with RO systems, LED lights, Poshan Vatika (nutrition gardens), and water harvesting structures. These upgrades aim to provide a healthier environment to children and mothers. How effective is the women and child related schemes in the state? Twenty four districts have active 'One Stop Centres', and approval has been granted for 11 more in large or underserved districts. These centres support women in distress. Women can call the 181 Women Helpline. Upon receiving the call, the team tracks the location and immediately dispatches support. We also have counsellors and legal aid (DLSA) tied up with every centre. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why seniors are rushing to get this Internet box – here's why! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Every district has a dedicated women empowerment hub. Are there specific projects for children in need of protection? Yes, there are over 50 Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in the state that cater to both CNCP (children in need of care and protection) and CCL (children in conflict with law). Separate facilities exist for boys and girls, and we also coordinate with Childline 1098. What financial schemes are provided under the PMMVY in state? Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, the state has provided benefits to approximately 9.3 lakh women. For the first child, mothers receive Rs 5,000, and for the second child (if a girl), they receive Rs 6,000. In the last financial year alone, Rs 421 crore was disbursed directly to beneficiaries. Beneficiaries can now self-register digitally for schemes. Are any new infrastructure projects sanctioned recently? Seven new working women hostels have been sanctioned in Jharkhand. We've also approved Palna-cum-creche facilities at anganwadi centres. Has the Centre assessed Jharkhand's performance? Yes. Performance varies across schemes. States like Haryana (Palna), Tamil Nadu (hostels), and Gujarat (nutrition) are doing well in respective areas. In Jharkhand, despite progress, the absence of a state women's commission for the past 6 years is a concern.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Defunct state women commission a concern in Jharkhand: Union min
1 2 3 Ministry of women and child development minister and Koderma MP Annpurna Devi talks to Kritika Tiwary on her agenda and ongoing efforts to uplift women and children nationwide. Excerpts: Q. How many women and child development projects are currently active in Jharkhand? At present, there are over 37,815 anganwadi centres operational across the state. Among them, more than 16,700 centres have been approved under the Saksham Anganwadi initiative, which includes facilities like clean drinking water with RO systems, LED lighting, Poshan Vatika (nutrition gardens), and water harvesting structures. These upgrades aim to provide a healthier environment to children and mothers. Q. How effective is the women and child related schemes in the state? Twenty four districts have active 'One Stop Centres', and approval has been granted for 11 more in large or underserved districts. These centres support women in distress by offering immediate rescue, legal assistance, medical aid, police intervention, counselling, and temporary shelter for up to 25 days. Women can call the 181 Women Helpline. Upon receiving the call, the team tracks the location and immediately dispatches support. Based on the need whether legal help, police support, or medical attention the necessary services are provided. We also have counsellors and legal aid (DLSA) tied up with every OSC. Every district has a dedicated women empowerment hub, which serves as a convergence point for all Central and state schemes such as Mission Shakti, PMMVY, and Saksham Anganwadi. Q. Are there specific projects for children in need of protection? Yes, there are over 50 Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in the state that cater to both CNCP (Children in Need of Care and Protection) and CCL (Children in Conflict with Law). Separate facilities exist for boys and girls, and we also coordinate with Childline 1098, which is active even at railway stations and remote pockets to rescue and assist vulnerable children. Q. What financial schemes are provided under the PMMVY in state? Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), the state has provided benefits to approximately 9.3 lakh women. For the first child, mothers receive Rs 5,000, and for the second child (if a girl), they receive Rs 6,000. In the last financial year alone, Rs 421 crore was disbursed directly to beneficiaries. Beneficiaries can now self-register digitally through mobile-based platforms for schemes like PMMVY, Poshan Tracker, etc. Currently, around 31 lakh beneficiaries are connected digitally under various nutrition and maternal health schemes in state. Q. Are any new infrastructure projects sanctioned recently? Seven new working women hostels have been sanctioned in Jharkhand with a total cost of Rs 167 crore, offering safe accommodation to employed women. We've also approved Palna-cum-creche facilities at anganwadi centres to support working mothers. We've ensured district-level outreach for both women and children in need. Q. Has the Centre assessed Jharkhand's performance? Yes. Performance varies across schemes. States like Haryana (Palna), Tamil Nadu (hostels), and Gujarat (nutrition) are doing well in respective areas. In Jharkhand, despite progress, the absence of a state women's commission for the past 6 years is a concern. The Centre is ready to provide all support, but the state must strengthen implementation, especially in Saksham Anganwadi rollouts, which are still lagging.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
In Rajasthan, practical lessons in fatherhood: how to raise a child
During a weekly telephonic conversation with an anganwadi worker and the village poshan champion (community motivators) in late 2020, Mukesh Kharadi, 34, a resident of Dungarpur's Sabli village, was informed that his 32-year-old wife Jaya's pregnancy was considered 'high risk' because she was expecting twins and was highly anaemic. That conversation, says Mukesh, then a worker in a tile factory in Udaipur, nearly 100 km from his village, made him realise that he could no longer behave like a 'typical' husband. 'They said I need to be around to take care of Jaya and help raise our twins, who were later born prematurely. In my community, a man lives separately after marriage, but is never taught to take care of his pregnant wife or newborns. The wife manages on her own, at times, with help from anganwadi workers,' he tells The Indian Express, sitting on a plastic chair next to Jaya, their twins Prajna and Pragya on their lap, in their Sabli home. So Mukesh quit his job to drive tractors at nearby farms. 'The anganwadi worker and poshan champion taught me about the importance of nutrition for pregnant women. I know now that they need iron-rich foods like dals (lentils), nuts and coconut water. I even learned to cook fish and egg curry for Jaya,' he adds with a smile. Mukesh is part of a growing tribe of husbands actively involved in maternal and newborn care, an aspect of pregnancy earlier deemed as 'women's work'. For Rajasthan, this is where the solution to its problems lay. Despite the Central flagship scheme — the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) — for pregnant and lactating women, low birth-weight indicators continued to plague the state. To improve maternal and child nutrition, Rajasthan decided to augment the PMMVY by launching a cash plus model (money transfers combined with additional services) as a pilot programme. Around 2020, Rajasthan's Department of Women and Child Development launched its Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategy across its five tribal districts of Banswara, Baran, Dungarpur, Udaipur, and Pratapgarh. The programme, being managed by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), was launched with technical support from IPE Global, an international development consultancy group. In a first for an Indian state, the SBCC included cash initiative in the form of direct benefit transfers (DBT): Rs 5,000 (in two installments) for the birth of the first child and Rs 6,000 for the second birth, provided the child was a girl and the pregnancy registered. A recent report card on Rajasthan's cash plus model shows huge improvements in women's access to nutrition in these districts, including a nearly 50% rise in early breastfeeding, women being more receptive to home-based counselling, improvement in dietary diversity among expectant mothers and more women using cash specifically for nutrition. Nearly two lakh women expecting their second child in these five districts benefited under the scheme's financial aid and counselling services, the report card states. SBCC's biggest success, however, came from a crucial element — the involvement of men in maternal and newborn care — a crucial component that was neglected earlier under various schemes on maternal care. Take the case of Jaya's pregnancy. Due to her low haemoglobin levels, village poshan (nutrition) champion Rajendra Baranda helped Mukesh understand the importance of nutrition for the health of his wife and unborn children. Rajendra, who visits homes across Sabli village to counsel families and register new beneficiaries regularly, says, 'I make it a point to speak to the men now.' Veena Prajapati, a worker at Nala Fala Anganwadi Centre in the village for 15 years, says the SBCC has helped shift focus. 'Earlier, our work was limited to women. Now, we are also engaging with men. The change is gradual, but it's happening,' she says. Several outreach strategies were launched to foster this shift, including a poster campaign portraying caring husbands as 'true Baahubalis (the one with strong arms)', a nod to the 2015 action-fantasy film directed by S S Rajamouli, creating a men's WhatsApp groups to share nutrition tips for pregnant and lactating women, regular village health and nutrition committee meetings, and kala jathas (traditional street plays). 'In these posters, we ask, 'Who is the real Baahubali?' The answer is simple, the one who takes care of his wife,' says Veena. Talking about the reference to Baahubali, Mahendra Kumar Soni, Secretary, State Department of Women and Child Development, who is currently steering the initiative, says, 'It was a part of our 'Hero-Hub-Hygiene' model (during phase one of the campaign). The idea was to redefine what it means to be a hero. At that time (when the campaign was launched), Baahubali was a hugely popular figure — strong, masculine and powerful. We used that cultural reference to flip the narrative: our messaging portrayed Baahubali not as someone defined by physical strength, but as a caring, responsible husband, one who accompanies his wife to the anganwadi centre and ensures she attends antenatal check-ups.' Another effective tactic has been the amavasya baithak, a fortnightly meeting with men on women's nutrition. 'It's a challenge, since most men work in places away from the village. The WhatsApp groups help us stay connected,' she adds, emphasising that this is 'just the beginning'. Explaining how the SBCC was formulated, he says their strategy was based on a study that explored key aspects of messaging: content, frequency, delivery methods and the identification of primary stakeholders who needed to be engaged. Soni says, 'When we went into the field, we realised that simply speaking to women wasn't enough. Even if we gave cash directly to the mother or advised a pregnant woman on what to eat and when, it wasn't effective, because the decision-making power didn't lie with her.' He explained that choices around nutrition, including what to eat and what to avoid, were often made by the mother-in-law. 'Since they typically take household decisions, we included mothers-in-law in our intervention strategy. Similarly, the husbands, who play a key role since they usually buy food from the market. We realised that fathers of pregnant women also need to be educated about proper nutrition. That's why we started engaging with men directly,' he adds. He says the intervention strategy was designed using concentric circles around the pregnant woman. 'The first circle includes the husband; the second, the mother-in-law; the third, the extended family; and the fourth, the broader community. This understanding shaped the communication model, which includes home-based counselling and one-on-one digital outreach targeting men,' he says. During the second phase of the campaign in 2022, the concept of Baahubali evolved. 'We realised that the idea of a hero need not be limited to husbands or men. A father-in-law, an aunt, a neighbour — anyone who positively contributes to a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth can be a Baahubali. Anyone who supports and empowers a pregnant woman becomes a hero in her story.' (The writer was in Dungarpur on an invitation from the Rajasthan government)
