In the Eleventh Five Year Plan document the Planning Commission had noted that:

Poor women continue to work to earn a living for the family right upto the last days of their pregnancy. This does not allow them to gain weight

They resume working soon after childbirth. This prevents their bodies from fully recovering

As they are out working, they are unable to exclusively breastfeed their new born in the first six months

Therefore, there is urgent need for introducing a modest maternity benefit to partly compensate for their wage loss

In India, there are high levels of under-nutrition and anaemia in married adolescent girls and women (56%)

This is made worse due to early marriage, early child bearing and inadequate spacing between births.

Data shows that 63% of lactating women and 59% of pregnant women suffer from anemia

Exclusive breast feeding for six months can reduce infant mortality rates - studies have shown that 16% of under 5 years child mortality can reduce when children are breastfed exclusively for 6 months

ANC coverage and child immunization rates are also low

Thus in the light of all the above, the Govt. felt that there is a need to tackle the nutritional deficits of the pregnant and lactating mother by:

providing a direct cash transfer if women met certain conditionalities

providing maternal support, counselling, maternal and child health services

Thus the Govt. introduced the IGMSY scheme

To improve the health and nutrition status of pregnant & lactating women and infants by:

Promoting appropriate practices, care and service utilisation during pregnancy, safe delivery and lactation

Encouraging the women to follow (optimal) IYCF practices including early and exclusive breast feeding for the first six months

Contributing to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and lactating mothers

Pregnant women who are 19 years of age and above for first two live births

All government /PSU/SPSU employees are excluded from the scheme

In its pilot phase the IGMSY scheme is being rolled out in selected 52 districts

Cash Transfer Conditions Amount in Rs

Means of Verification

First Installment (at the end of second trimester)

Registration of Pregnancy at AWC / health centres within 4 months of pregnancy

At least one ANC with IFA tablets and TT

Attended at least one counselling session at AWC / VHND

1,500 Mother & Child Protection Card (MCP Card)

Cash Transfer Conditions Amount in Rs

Means of Verification

3 months after delivery

Registration of child birth

The child has received: OPV ,BCG at birth and DPT at 6 & 10 weeks

Attended at least 2 growth monitoring and IYCF counselling sessions within 3 months of delivery.

1500 •Mother & Child Protection Card

•Immunization Register

• Growth Monitoring Chart

Cash Transfer Conditions Amount in Rs

Means of Verification

6 months after delivery

Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months & introduction of complimentary feeding

The child has received OPV and DPT at 14 weeks

Attended at least 2 growth monitoring and IYCF counselling sessions between 3rd and 6th months of delivery

1,000 •Self certification

•Mother & Child Protection Card, Immunization Register

•Growth Monitoring Chart and

Miscarriages: If the beneficiary fulfils the conditions for the 1st installment, but miscarries she is entitled to 1st installment on producing proper documentation

Still Births: Will be eligible for the 2nd installment subject to attending 2 counseling sessions for her own health and well being

If baby dies between 3 – 6 months: If the beneficiary fulfills the conditions for the 2nd installment, she will be given the 2nd installment upon producing proper documentation to ensure it was not a case of female infanticide.

Twins: If the beneficiary on her first delivery gives

birth to live twins she can avail the benefit of the Scheme only once

If the beneficiary has one child and then in second delivery gives birth to twins she can avail the benefit of the Scheme for the second time (even though there are now 3 children)

Exclusionary Criteria: Those from the most vulnerable sections

of society would find it most difficult to satisfy the eligibility criteria and would therefore be left out.

Thus 59% women having any one of the vulnerabilities in terms of caste, class or education will get left out. Of these 56% SC/ST, 63% poor and 63% uneducated women will fall out of the preview of this scheme (Lingam and Yelamanchili)

Women who work in the formal /organized sector (around 5% of the entire female workforce in India) are provided full pay for three to six months with no conditions

However, the millions of women working in the unorganized/informal sector will be compelled to fulfil ‘good behaviour conditions’ before they are eligible for their maternity benefit

And to make matters worse this is not counted in terms of wage-loss compensation for any significant period.

The scheme also overlooks the existence of gender inequality which is augmented by the strong patriarchal system.

It also fails to acknowledge that this gender inequality contributes to malnutrition of women due to the existence of gender differentials in distribution of resources.

These exclusionary criteria may thus worsen the situation of malnutrition in the already vulnerable population.

Women will not be able to control the facilitating environment (health service conditions) that enables them to fulfill these conditions, so they may end up excluded from the scheme for no fault of theirs

By attaching conditionalities which are linked to supply factors, the scheme ignores the fact that often the supply side does always function to its optimum, and thereby penalizes women for no fault of theirs

Maternity entitlements should be available to all women, without any conditionality.

The entitlement should be equal to wages lost for rest and breast-feeding

Women have the right to support for childcare especially for exclusive breastfeeding while at work. There is urgent need for workplace initiatives for supporting women with infants and young children (less than 2 years) through provision of crèches.

Increase AWW and ANM services on priority basis to ensure pregnancy care and nutrition

Strengthen existing health systems to provide comprehensive maternity care

Put in place an accessible grievance redress mechanism which poor women can easily use; with a report on prompt action taken.