Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): Rs 5,000 for your first child, explained step by step (2026)

If you are pregnant with your first child, do this now. Walk to your nearest Anganwadi centre or ask your ASHA worker to register you under PMMVY, or open the citizen portal at pmmvy.wcd.gov.in and log in with your mobile number. Register as early in the pregnancy as you can, keep your Aadhaar linked bank account ready, and note down the date you registered. That single visit starts a maternity benefit of Rs 5,000 for your first child, paid straight into your bank account in two parts. If your second child turns out to be a girl, the same scheme adds another Rs 6,000. This page walks you through who qualifies, how much you get and when, the exact papers you need, and what to do if the money does not arrive.

Picture a young woman in a small town expecting her first baby. Her husband works as a daily wage mason and the household income is tight. During pregnancy she should rest, eat well, and attend her ante-natal check-ups, but every missed day of work is money the family does not earn. Before a cash maternity benefit existed, many women in this position kept working late into pregnancy and skipped check-ups because a clinic visit meant a lost day of wages.

Now look at the same woman after she registers under PMMVY. She goes to the Anganwadi in her first trimester, completes her registration, and attends her ante-natal check-up. A few weeks after the check-up, Rs 3,000 lands in her bank account. After the baby is born and gets the first round of immunisation, another Rs 2,000 arrives. The cash does not replace her wages, but it softens the loss of income around childbirth and nudges her towards the health check-ups that protect both mother and baby. That partial wage support is the whole idea behind the scheme.

If you also hold an PM Jan Dhan bank account, the direct benefit transfer arrives faster because the account is already DBT-enabled. Many beneficiaries who also hold an NFSA ration card or an e-Shram card find that these documents double as eligibility proof for PMMVY, saving a separate paperwork round.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a centrally sponsored conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating mothers. It is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of India, through state governments and union territory administrations. The scheme operates within the broader Mission Shakti umbrella, which consolidated several women-focused welfare programmes from 2021-22 onwards. The official MWCD portal at wcd.nic.in hosts the scheme guidelines and annual reports.

Under PMMVY 2.0 (effective from 1 April 2022), the funding pattern is 60:40 between the Centre and states for most states, 90:10 for North-Eastern states and Himalayan states, and 100% central share for union territories without legislature. The scheme is delivered on the ground through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) platform, meaning your local Anganwadi centre, Anganwadi worker, and ASHA worker are the frontline functionaries who help you register and track your benefit.

The scheme is distinct from the older PMMVY scheme page on wcd.nic.in listing and also from the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) which focuses on institutional delivery incentives. PMMVY specifically compensates for wage loss during pregnancy and early child-rearing.

PMMVY is a targeted scheme, so not every pregnant woman qualifies. Under the current PMMVY 2.0 rules you may be eligible if you meet the age and income conditions and fall in one of the covered groups.

• Age at childbirth. The mother should be between 18 years 7 months and 55 years at the time of childbirth. This is a change from the older cut-off, so do not assume you are too young or too old without checking.
• Income ceiling. The scheme is meant for families with a net annual income below Rs 8 lakh.
• Covered categories. You may qualify if you belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, have a disability of 40 percent or more, hold a BPL ration card or an NFSA ration card, are an Ayushman Bharat beneficiary, hold an e-Shram card, are a woman farmer covered under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, hold a MGNREGA job card, or work as an Anganwadi worker, Anganwadi helper or ASHA.
• First child, then a second girl child. The Rs 5,000 benefit is for the first living child. The additional Rs 6,000 is available only for the second child and only when the second child is a girl.

Who is left out. Women in regular employment with the Central Government, a State Government or a public sector undertaking are not covered, and neither are women who already receive a similar maternity benefit under any other law. The reason is that this cash is meant for women who have no paid maternity leave of their own. If your rules have changed since this was written, check the latest official eligibility on pmmvy.wcd.gov.in before you apply.

The payment is split so that each instalment is tied to a health milestone. Keeping to these milestones is how you receive the full amount.

• First child, first instalment of Rs 3,000. Paid after you register the pregnancy and complete at least one ante-natal check-up.
• First child, second instalment of Rs 2,000. Paid after the child is born, the birth is registered, and the child has begun the cycle of universal immunisation within about 14 weeks of birth.
• Second child, Rs 6,000 in one instalment. Paid only if the second child is a girl, after her birth and the completion of her early immunisation within about 14 weeks.

Add it up and a mother of a first child and a second girl child can receive up to Rs 11,000 over the two pregnancies. Every rupee is transferred by direct benefit transfer into the mother's own Aadhaar seeded bank account or post office account. No cash changes hands at the Anganwadi, and nobody should ask you for a payment to process your file.

You can apply either through your Anganwadi or ASHA worker or by yourself on the citizen portal. Both routes reach the same system.

1. Register early. Go to your Anganwadi centre or approved health facility as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed, ideally in the first trimester. Early registration gives you the best chance of the full benefit and better ante-natal care. On the self-service route, open pmmvy.wcd.gov.in and use the Citizen Login with your mobile number and an OTP.
2. Fill the beneficiary form. Give your personal details, your state, district and block, your last menstrual period date, and your bank account details. Your Anganwadi worker can fill this for you if you apply in person.
3. Submit your KYC and documents. Provide your Aadhaar, your Aadhaar linked bank or post office account, your MCP or RCH card, and the proof that places you in an eligible category.
4. Note your application number. Once submitted, you receive an application reference. Write it down. You will need it to track status and to file an RTI later if there is a delay.
5. Complete each milestone. Attend your ante-natal check-up for the first instalment. After birth, register the birth and start immunisation for the next instalment. Report each milestone so the payment can be released.
6. Track the money. Follow your application on the portal or ask your Anganwadi worker. You can also call the PMMVY helpline on 011-23380329 for status queries.

You can register up to 270 days from childbirth, so if you missed registering during pregnancy you may still be able to claim after the baby is born. Confirm the current window on the official portal.

PMMVY is one of several schemes that provide cash or services to pregnant women and new mothers. It is common to be eligible for more than one at the same time. Here is a side-by-side comparison to help you understand which ones apply to you.

Key takeaway: PMMVY and JSY are complementary, not alternatives. If you deliver in a government or accredited private institution, you can claim JSY for the delivery incentive and PMMVY for the wage-loss compensation. Additionally, if you are an Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY beneficiary, your delivery and hospital stay may be cashless, and you can still receive PMMVY cash. Some state income-support schemes like Ladli Behna Yojana (MP) or Lakshmi Bhandar (WB) run independently and do not conflict with PMMVY.

For your daughter's future, you can also open a Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account after her birth to start a long-term savings corpus with tax benefits.

The original PMMVY was launched on 1 January 2017 under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act. In April 2022, the scheme was restructured as PMMVY 2.0 under Mission Shakti (Sambal sub-scheme). Here are the key differences:

The shift to category-based eligibility in PMMVY 2.0 means that documents like the e-Shram card, an NFSA ration card, or MGNREGA job card now serve as direct qualification proof. If you held any of these before your pregnancy, your PMMVY registration is simpler. According to a PIB release on Mission Shakti, the sub-scheme Sambal includes PMMVY 2.0 along with the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme and other women's safety initiatives.

The Anganwadi worker (AWW) and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) are the two frontline functionaries who make PMMVY work on the ground. Neither of them processes the payment itself — that is done at the block or district level — but they are your first point of contact and their role is critical.

• Anganwadi worker (AWW): Identifies pregnant women in her coverage area, helps fill the PMMVY beneficiary form, collects and verifies documents, and enters data into the PMMVY-MAA portal or RCH portal. She also tracks whether milestones (ANC check-up, birth registration, immunisation) are completed.
• ASHA worker: Accompanies the pregnant woman to health facility visits, ensures ante-natal check-ups happen, facilitates institutional delivery, and reports birth and immunisation events back into the system.
• Supervisor and Child Development Project Officer (CDPO): Verify applications at the block level and approve them for forwarding to the treasury for DBT payment.

If your Anganwadi worker is unresponsive or you cannot locate your nearest centre, you can still self-register on the citizen portal at pmmvy.wcd.gov.in. The Anganwadi worker and ASHA are also your best allies in resolving common problems — they can check whether your Aadhaar seeding is correct or whether your application is stuck at the block level.

Several states operate their own maternity or women's income support schemes that complement PMMVY. You can be a beneficiary of both a central scheme and a state scheme simultaneously.

• Madhya Pradesh: Ladli Behna Yojana provides monthly income support to women, independent of PMMVY.
• West Bengal: Lakshmi Bhandar Yojana gives monthly cash to women heads of family.
• Maharashtra: Mukhyamantri Matrutva Sahay Yojana offers a state maternity benefit.
• Karnataka: Gruha Lakshmi Yojana provides monthly assistance to women heads of family.
• Tamil Nadu: Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme offers cash assistance for pregnant women.
• Telangana: KCR Kit scheme provides a kit and cash for institutional deliveries.

None of these state schemes disqualify you from PMMVY. Always check with your local Anganwadi or district WCD office to confirm what stack of benefits you are entitled to. You can also browse the full Sarkari Yojana index 2014 to 2026 for other central and state schemes you may be eligible for.

• Money not credited after a milestone. The usual cause is a bank account that is not properly Aadhaar seeded or not enabled for direct benefit transfer. Visit your bank, confirm the seeding, and ask your Anganwadi worker to re-check your record. If you do not yet have a DBT-ready account, consider opening a PM Jan Dhan account, which is DBT-enabled by default.
• Name or Aadhaar mismatch. If the name on your Aadhaar and your bank account do not match, the transfer can fail. Correct the spelling or date of birth so the two records agree.
• Application stuck at the block or district level. Sometimes a file sits unverified. Note your application number and the date, follow up in writing, and if there is still no answer, use the RTI route below.
• Second child benefit confusion. The extra Rs 6,000 is only for a second child who is a girl. A second boy does not attract an additional amount under this scheme.
• Told to pay a fee. There is no fee to register or to receive the benefit. If anyone asks for money to process your PMMVY file, refuse and report it.
• Aadhaar OTP not working on the portal. Ensure your mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar at an Aadhaar enrolment centre. If your number has changed, update it before trying to register on the citizen portal.

When a follow-up at the Anganwadi or block office leads nowhere, a written Right to Information request often moves a stuck file. The Women and Child Development office then has to give you a status, a reason, or a date in writing. Ask narrow, factual questions such as the present status of your application number, the name of the officer handling it, the reason for any delay, and the date by which your instalment will be released.

• Draft your RTI in minutes: AI RTI Drafter
• Full filing and appeal process: The RTI Playbook

A sample RTI for a PMMVY delay might ask: “Please provide the present status of PMMVY application number [your number], the name and designation of the officer processing it, the date it was received at your office, and the reason for any delay in releasing the instalment due to the beneficiary.” The Public Information Officer (PIO) at your district or state WCD department is the designated officer to receive this application.

PMMVY was launched in 2017 by the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a conditional maternity benefit scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers. It was created to partially compensate for wage loss during pregnancy and the early months of breastfeeding, which disproportionately affects women in the unorganised sector who have no paid maternity leave. According to the original PIB launch announcement, the scheme was designed to benefit approximately 51.7 lakh pregnant and lactating women per year.

In April 2022 it was revised into PMMVY 2.0 under the Mission Shakti umbrella. The revised guidelines, notified through the MWCD implementation guidelines on wcd.nic.in, expanded the second-child benefit for a girl from Rs 2,000 to Rs 6,000 to encourage families to welcome and register the birth of a daughter. According to the official PMMVY portal at pmmvy.wcd.gov.in, close to 5 crore beneficiaries have been enrolled and more than Rs 20,000 crore has been paid out over the life of the scheme. The MWCD also publishes progress data through its annual reports on wcd.nic.in.

You can see PMMVY alongside every other central and state welfare scheme on the All Modi-era Sarkari Yojana index 2014 to 2026.

You get Rs 5,000 for your first living child in two instalments (Rs 3,000 + Rs 2,000), and an additional Rs 6,000 if your second child is a girl, for a total of up to Rs 11,000 across two children.

For the first child, Rs 3,000 comes after pregnancy registration and an ante-natal check-up, and Rs 2,000 after the birth is registered and early immunisation begins. The Rs 6,000 for a second girl child is paid in one instalment after her birth and immunisation.

Yes. Under PMMVY 2.0, the scheme is meant for families with a net annual income below Rs 8 lakh, and you must fall in one of the covered categories (SC/ST, BPL/NFSA card, e-Shram card, PM-Kisan beneficiary, MGNREGA job card holder, Anganwadi worker/helper, ASHA, or 40%+ disability). Check the latest official rule on pmmvy.wcd.gov.in before applying.

Women in regular Central or State Government or public sector jobs, or those who already get a similar maternity benefit under another law (such as the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961), are not eligible for PMMVY. The rationale is that these women already have paid maternity leave.

You can register up to 270 days from childbirth, so a late registration may still be possible. Confirm the current window on pmmvy.wcd.gov.in.

First check that your bank account is Aadhaar seeded and enabled for direct transfer. If it is correct and the payment is still stuck, file an RTI with your local Women and Child Development office quoting your application number. Use the AI RTI Drafter to draft your application in minutes.

Yes. PMMVY compensates for wage loss during pregnancy, while Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) incentivises institutional delivery. They are run by different ministries (WCD vs Health) and can be claimed simultaneously. If you deliver in a government hospital, you can also use your Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY card for cashless treatment.

No. The maximum benefit is capped at two children: Rs 5,000 for the first child and Rs 6,000 for the second child if she is a girl. A third child does not attract any PMMVY benefit.

No. PMMVY is a cash benefit for women who do not have paid maternity leave, especially those in the unorganised sector. Working women covered under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 receive paid leave from their employer (26 weeks for the first two children), and are therefore excluded from PMMVY.

The PMMVY helpline is 011-23380329, operated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. You can also email your queries or track your application status on the citizen portal at pmmvy.wcd.gov.in.

Typically 30 to 60 days from the date your milestone is verified and forwarded by the Anganwadi worker. Delays beyond 90 days are a red flag — check your bank seeding first, then follow up with your Anganwadi worker or file an RTI.

Yes, if they meet the eligibility criteria and hold an eligible-category document such as an e-Shram card. The e-Shram portal was specifically designed to include unorganised and migrant workers in welfare schemes. Registration can be done at any Anganwadi centre regardless of your home state.

• Janani Suraksha Yojana for safe institutional delivery
• Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY health cover
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana savings for a girl child
• Mahila Samman Savings Certificate for women
• PM Jan Dhan bank account for direct benefit transfer
• NFSA ration card for food security
• e-Shram card for unorganised workers
• Lakshmi Bhandar income support for women
• Ladli Behna Yojana (MP) monthly income for women
• Gruha Lakshmi Yojana (Karnataka) income support
• PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for farmer families
• MGNREGA job card for rural employment
• All Modi-era Sarkari Yojanas 2014 to 2026

This article draws on the following official Government of India sources:

• Ministry of Women and Child Development — PMMVY scheme page: wcd.nic.in/schemes/pradhan-mantri-matru-vandana-yojana
• PMMVY 2.0 Implementation Guidelines (MWCD): wcd.nic.in PMMVY 2.0 guidelines PDF
• PMMVY citizen portal (apply, track, FAQs): pmmvy.wcd.gov.in
• PIB launch announcement (2017): pib.gov.in PRID 1521440
• PIB Mission Shakti notification (2022): pib.gov.in PRID 1801234 — Mission Shakti sub-schemes
• MWCD Annual Reports: wcd.nic.in/annual-reports
• PMMVY Implementation Guidelines (original 2017): wcd.nic.in PMMVY guidelines 2017 PDF
• Helpline: 011-23380329, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India

Last reviewed: 11 July 2026 by the RTI Wiki Editorial Team. Next scheduled review: January 2027.