Lactating mothers to be given Rs 6,000 aid

Chandigarh, June 30

Minister of Social Security, Women and Child Development Baljit Kaur said under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, the eligible beneficiary women (lactating mothers) would be given financial assistance of Rs 6,000 after the birth of the second girl child.

Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 5,000 was given to expectant and lactating mothers for the birth of their first child. She said providing financial assistance after the birth of a girl child would improve the declining sex ratio of girls.

It would also help to stop the practice of gender selection before birth and improve the health of the child. The minister said under this scheme, the benefit of Rs 6,000 would be directly transferred to the accounts of the beneficiaries. Forms were filled by Anganwadi workers in their centres to avail this benefit.

Every beneficiary must have an Aadhaar card and it must be linked to a bank account. The minister said the beneficiaries could submit their applications by registering themselves on the online portal (https://pmmvy.nic.in/). The minister instructed officials to implement this plan in a transparent and efficient manner.