Union Health Ministry’s flagship scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers may cease in the coming year
Over a crore poor women, who may conceive their second child next year, may not receive cash benefits. DNA has learned that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) flagship scheme Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) may cease.
Under JSY, a pregnant woman and lactating mother (PW&LM) is entitled to Rs 1,400 for her first two ‘live’ institutional deliveries.
On May 17, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) noted that under their new Maternity Benefit Programme (MBP), cash benefits of up to Rs 5,000 will be given to PW&LM in three instalments on the birth of the first ‘live’ child, while an additional Rs 1,000 will be granted under MoHFW’s JSY.
In a national consultation on February 22 for implementing MBP, Leena Nair, Secretary, WCD, noted that “JSY will continue for another year. And one year after the implementation of MBP, JSY will be absorbed in to MBP.”
The proceedings, however, have no mention of restricting cash benefits to the first live child, neither was this announced in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the country on December 31, 2016.
“The MoHFW, states and other participants were not consulted whether the MBP should be restricted to the first live child, or emulate JSY’s two-child scheme,” said a senior health official from MoHFW.
Of the 2.25 crore pregnant women, 1.5 crore received cash benefits of Rs 1,400 under JSY in 2015-16. The total amount disbursed was Rs 2,100 crore, according to MoHFW.
“The ministry estimates that annually, 30 per cent (up to 45 lakh) of the 1.5 crore women were pregnant for the first time. This means that the new scheme benefits only a minority. If JSY ceases to exist, about 70 per cent, who are delivering their second child, will fail to get any cash benefits,” the official said.
Currently, Rs 2,644 crore has been allocated to cover women for their first live delivery. “If all 1.5 crore women were supposed to benefit under the new scheme, the allocation would have to be up to Rs 9,000 crore,” the official explained.
India officially has no ‘one child’ policy, note activists. “They continue to restrict benefits for mothers. But to dilute the entitlement to this extent is shocking,” said economist Jean Dreze.
When DNA contacted Vandana Gurnani, joint secretary, Reproductive and Child Health, MoHFW, she said, “There is no clarity on the continuation of JSY at the moment. We have to obtain clarity from the Prime Minister’s Office.”
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