New Delhi, March 26 Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday raised concerns in the Rajya Sabha over the underfunding of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and the non-fulfilment of maternity entitlements under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
Speaking in the Upper House during Zero Hour, Sonia Gandhi said that the National Food Security Act, enacted under the leadership of former Prime Minister late Dr Manmohan Singh, forms the foundation of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.
"The Act includes a maternity entitlement of Rs 6,000 per child for pregnant women in the informal sector. However, the PMMVY, launched in 2017 to fulfill this provision, offers only Rs 5,000 for the first child," she said.
Sonia Gandhi further pointed out that the scheme is extended to the second child only if the newborn is a girl.
Citing an analysis for the year 2022-23, Sonia Gandhi stated that approximately 68 per cent of pregnant women received at least one instalment under the PMMVY for their first-born child. However, she expressed concern that this figure dropped sharply to just 12 per cent the following year.
"I would like to ask the central government why this was allowed to happen," Sonia Gandhi said.
Sonia Gandhi emphasised that an annual budget of about Rs 12,000 crore is required to fully implement the maternity benefit provisions.
She also raised concern over the lack of specific information about the PMMVY allocation in the budget documents.
"The allocation for maternity benefits in 2025-26 is only Rs 2,521 crore," she said, adding that this clearly indicates the scheme is being severely underfunded, violating the key provisions of the law passed by Parliament.
She had earlier demanded that the government increase the minimum wages under the MGNREGA to Rs 400 as well as increasing the maximum work days to 150.
Sonia Gandhi, who was earlier a member of the Lok Sabha, is now a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. She is among the 27 Congress MPs in the Upper House.
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