New Delhi:

Congress MP Sonia Gandhi has flagged a severe lack of funds for a government programme that aims to provide maternity benefits to pregnant women. Its implementation under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 needs Rs 12,000 crore, but the Budget for the upcoming financial year has provided only Rs 2,500 crore for such programmes, she told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Under the NFSA, pregnant women are entitled to maternity benefits worth Rs 6,000 per child, paid in two instalments. The benefits extend to the second child if it is a girl. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), launched in 2017, provides Rs 5,000 for the implementation of the scheme.

Citing an analysis, Mrs Gandhi said 68% of all pregnant women received at least one instalment in 2022-23, but the proportion fell drastically after that. “The very next year, this proportion fell to just around 12%. I would like to ask the Union government why was this allowed to happen?” she asked.

Mrs Gandhi, a new member of the Upper House, said that under the NFSA, the full implementation of the maternity benefits requires an annual budget of around Rs 12,000 crore, but the budget outlay this year did not mention any allocation for PMMVY separately.

“All that the (budget) documents reveal that there is a programme called Samarthya in the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This has five components, of which PMMVY is one. The allocation in 2025-26 for Samarthya is only Rs 2,521 crore. This clearly shows that the PMMVY is severely underfunded, thereby violating the law passed by the parliament,” she added.

Mrs Gandhi had opted out of the Lok Sabha contest last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. She is among the 27 Congress MPs in the ‘House of Elders’.