Topic– Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
4) PMMVY dilutes the provisions of the NFSA act and increases the hardships of the pregnant women. Examine.(250 words)
Why this question
In a country like India where poverty is rampant and inequalities glare NFSA is an important legislation catering to the food security and nutritional security of the pregnant women. However PMMVY, which was introduced a few years back has diluted the provisions of the act.
Directive word
Examine- here we have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any.
Key demand of the question.
The question wants us to dig deeper into the PMMVY and the NFSA and bring out the reasons as to how the former dilutes the provisions of the later and how it has increased the hardships of the poor pregnant women.
Structure of the answer
Introduction– mention that Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013, every pregnant woman is entitled to maternity benefits of ₹6,000, unless she is already receiving similar benefits as a government employee or under other laws.
Body-
Discuss about the PMMVY in detail and discuss how it violates the NFSA in several ways. E.g
First, the benefits have been reduced from ₹6,000 to ₹5,000 per child. Second, they are now restricted to the first living child. Third, they are further restricted to women above the age of 18 years.; The scheme largely defeats the purpose it is supposed to serve because first-order births account for only 43% of all births in India; The application process is cumbersome and exclusionary: a separate form has to be filled, signed and submitted for each of the three instalments; The compulsory linking of the applicant’s bank account with Aadhaar often causes problems; Further, the PMMVY provides little assistance to women who lose their baby, because the successive payments are made only if the corresponding conditionalities are met etc.
Conclusion– based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.
