: In a statement issued here, the Rajasthan Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) said a universal maternity entitlement of at least Rs. 6,000 has been available as a right to all pregnant and lactating women in the country since 2013 with the passing of the National Food Security Act. Mr. Modi had presented it as an ‘original idea’, and also as if it would somehow mitigate the hardships caused by demonetisation, pointed out the two organisations.
The civil rights groups have also questioned the eligibility criteria determining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s New Year’s eve announcement of a cash entitlement of Rs. 6,000 for pregnant women, saying its restriction to only the first two births would defeat its purpose.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, in “complete violation” of the Act, had continued with the pilot Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) in just 53 districts of the country, despite repeated demands by women across the country, civil society groups as well as the Supreme Court asking for an explanation for the delay in its implementation, said the statement.
Budget allocation
“The real test of what Mr. Modi’s announcement means will be to see how much budget will be allocated [to the scheme] next month,” said PUCL general secretary Kavita Srivastava.
