Ghaziabad: The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY 2.0) is helping strengthen maternal health and nutrition in Ghaziabad by providing financial assistance to eligible pregnant women and lactating mothers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Implemented by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Uttar Pradesh government under the Samarthya component of Mission Shakti, the scheme aims to partly compensate for wage loss during pregnancy and enable women to access adequate nutrition, rest and healthcare.
The impact is reflected in the experience of Ritu Shukla, a resident of Kaushambi in Ghaziabad, who faced financial difficulties during her first pregnancy. With assistance from a local Anganwadi worker, she registered for the scheme and received the first instalment of ₹3,000 after completing the required antenatal check-up. Following institutional delivery, birth registration and the prescribed initial immunisation milestones for her newborn, she received a second instalment of ₹2,000.
The financial assistance helped her purchase nutritious food, including fruits, green vegetables and milk, while meeting essential pregnancy-related needs. Now a mother of a healthy girl, Shukla is encouraging other pregnant women in her locality to register promptly and attend regular health check-ups.
Under the scheme’s revised guidelines, eligible women receive a total of ₹5,000 in two instalments for their first living child. The first instalment of ₹3,000 is linked to timely registration and at least one antenatal check-up, while the remaining ₹2,000 is provided after birth registration and completion of the prescribed initial immunisation milestones. Women whose second child is a girl are eligible for a one-time payment of ₹6,000, subject to scheme conditions.
The Ghaziabad administration is coordinating with the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) department to extend the scheme’s coverage. ASHA workers and Anganwadi staff are helping identify eligible beneficiaries, facilitate registrations and ensure that women in urban, industrial and rural areas are not excluded due to a lack of information.
Special registration drives are also being conducted during Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Days and Urban Health and Nutrition Days at primary, community and urban primary health centres. These sessions combine scheme registration with services such as haemoglobin testing, identification of high-risk pregnancies and immunisation.
The PMMVY software portal is being used to streamline applications, verify beneficiary details and facilitate payments through Aadhaar-linked bank or post office accounts. The administration is regularly reviewing applications and payment status, with real-time monitoring intended to help resolve documentation and banking errors promptly.
Officials are seeking to improve access to maternal healthcare, institutional deliveries and childhood immunisation through the scheme. By combining financial support with community outreach and health services, PMMVY 2.0 is intended to improve nutrition, promote safer motherhood and strengthen the welfare of women and children in Ghaziabad.
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