No eligible woman in UP received PM Modi's maternity scheme benefit, reveals RTI

No government money has been spent on pregnant and lactating women enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) till August 2018 in Uttar Pradesh (UP), an RTI query filed by news agency IANS has revealed.

PMMVY is a maternity benefit scheme launched by Narendra Modi government, which promises pregnant women and lactating mothers Rs 6,000 for the birth of the first living child.

The central government had approved a total of Rs 2,049 crore for 29 states and seven Union Territories in 2017-18, a response by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry has revelation. Out of this amount, Uttar Pradesh was sanctioned around Rs 336 crore.

According to the RTI reply, only 184 women have enrolled for the PMMVY in UP -- a state which has the second highest fertility rate -- since its inception in January 2017 till August 2018. A total of 44 lakh women have enrolled for the scheme across the country.

The number of beneficiaries stand at more than 34 lakh across the country, the reply suggests.

Despite having a small number of women enrolling for the scheme and receiving the largest chunk of the sanctioned amount, the state has not paid paid a single beneficiary, the RTI reply suggests.

Besides Uttar Pradesh, Punjab has also witnessed low enrollment. Only seven women have enrolled for the scheme in the state, while the beneficiaries are only five. The state was allocated Rs 46.49 crore.