Anganwadi Worker Meena Sargot of Girwa Block, UDAIPur, ensures safe motherhood by monitoring the weight of a pregnant woman for personal counseling and better birth results. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Recently Released Report Card on Rajasthan’s Cash Plus Model-India’s Fire-Led Pilot to Converge Direct Benefit Transfers Reaching 90% of Newbors), 44% of Women Being More Recipe to Home-Based Counselling, 49% Improvement in Dietary Diversity Among Pregnant Women, and 54% more women using cash specially for nutrition.
The State Government scheme is increased by the National Pradhan Mantri Matrum Vandan Yojan (PMMVY), which provides financial assistance to pregnant and coating women for their first living child. Its aim is to improve the health and nutrition of mothers and their infants by offering cash incentives. This program is carried out by the Ministry of Development of Women and Children.
Rajasthan has assessed its extended program through a three -year field study since 2021.
“Rajasthan is the first to combine cash support for pregnant women with interventions for a change in social and behavior (SBCI), such as counseling, household visits and nourishment and health meetings. It also includes mothers for the second time.
The scheme started at the end of 2020 in five districts: UDAIPUR, BANSWARA, DUNGARPUR, PRATAPgarh and Baran, as a pilot. In 2022 it was reduced to cover the whole state. The budget for the reduced version of the scheme is ₹ 210 Crore, focused on 3.5 lakh for the second pregnant woman in the state annually, according to the budget notice.
Digital media
Through the program, pregnant and nursing women are offered domestic and group nutritional counseling in the health of mothers and children and nutrition. The program also includes community and social orders that increase the change in local behavior and the use of digital media to target younger audiences and members of the male household.
While Rajasthan is aimed at reducing mortality and improving the overall well-being, the challenges they face include the fulfilling data collection (mother death), differences in care with a large part of this densely populated state are rural and poverty and lack of educational coverage.
Meanwhile, the initiative supports healthy eating practices, supports the use of institutional health care and strengthens community support systems. To date, more than 3.3 million women benefit directly, which leads to a measurable improvement in the results of the health of mothers and children throughout the country. According to a survey report, 80% of women reported improved availability and access to nutritional food and attributed more to the household awareness and advice.
When he talked about how this system helped her, Raju Kumari from rural Rajasthan shared: “During my pregnancy, Anganwadi registered me and ensured that I got vaccination and checks. My anemia was detected early and I got my child for iron treatment.
Published – June 15, 2025 17:41
