🔆 Key Insights on Maternity Entitlements in India 📍 Policy & Gaps in Implementation ✅ National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 entitles pregnant women to ₹6,000 in maternity benefits, but delivery remains poor. ✅ PMMVY (Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana) covers only one child per family, with ₹5,000 for the second child if a girl. 📍 Declining Coverage & Budget Cuts ✅ PMMVY coverage dropped from 36% (2018-19) to 9% (2023-24) due to poor implementation & budget cuts. ✅ Union government reduced PMMVY budget to ₹870 crore (2023-24), insufficient for eligible mothers. 📍 Transparency & Accessibility Issues ✅ Ministry of Women & Child Development fails to disclose PMMVY statistics, despite RTI obligations. ✅ Technical issues, software failures & Aadhaar-based exclusions hinder access. 📍 Better Models & Need for Reform ✅ Tamil Nadu & Odisha provide better maternity benefits: Tamil Nadu: ₹18,000 per child. Odisha: Covers 64% of births with ₹10,000 per child (vs. national PMMVY at just 9%). ✅ Maternal health policies remain inadequate: Only 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, with informal workers getting ₹5,000 or nothing. ✅ Urgent reforms needed: Expand coverage to all children. Fix software failures & improve transparency. ✅ Lack of adequate maternity benefits worsens women’s health outcomes. #government_schemes