Over Rs 271 crore spent on government's maternity scheme

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The government has spent Rs 271.66 crore in extending benefits of a maternity scheme to more than 11 lakh women out of over 22 lakh enrolled so far.

According to the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry, 22.04 lakh women have been listed under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) launched in January 2017 for the welfare of pregnant and lactating mothers.

The scheme aims at providing partial compensation for wage loss in terms of cash incentives so that women can take adequate rest before and after delivery of the first living child.

The ministry said it has so far sanctioned and released over Rs 2,048 crore to all the states and Union Territories.

Under the scheme, eligible beneficiaries get Rs 5,000 and the remaining cash incentive of Rs 1,000 for maternity benefit is given under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) after institutional delivery.