Ahead of elections, Odisha doubles allowance for pregnant women under the popular Mamata scheme

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the doubling of maternity benefit from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 under Mamata, a State-specific scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the doubling of maternity benefit from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 under Mamata, a State-specific scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers.

All eligible beneficiaries will receive the enhanced amount retrospectively from August 2023, with the outstanding sums to be paid between February 20 and 25.

In accordance with the new Mamata scheme, the assistance will be directly transferred to the beneficiary’s account in two instalments. While the first instalment of ₹6,000 will be provided after six months of pregnancy, the second instalment of ₹4,000 will be made available after the baby is 10 months old. All pregnant women above 19 years of age can secure this assistance for up to two children.

According to Chief Minister’s Office, the Mamata scheme was launched by Mr. Patnaik in 2011 to reduce maternal and child mortality, and was later adopted as a model at the national level.

The State government decided to provide the allowance to mothers belonging 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) for each pregnancy. The demand for an increase in the allowance was made during a district visit by V.K. Pandian, Chairman of the 5T Initiative.

Since the launch of the scheme, more than 60 lakh pregnant woman and mothers have been benefited. The State government has so far transferred ₹2,900 crore to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission ordered the reduction of 10 paise per unit in retail supply tariff in the domestic category under each slab. The fixed monthly charge for Below Poverty Line consumers has been reduced from ₹80 to ₹70 per month.