SUPOSHIT MAA Initiative

SUPOSHIT MAA Initiative

The Lok Sabha Speaker's efforts to advance mother and child health as part of the "Suposhit Maa" initiative have been commended by the Prime Minister of India.

About Suposhit Maa:

• The Lok Sabha Speaker started the "Suposhit Maa Abhiyan" in Kota, Rajasthan, in March 2020 with the goal of making India malnutrition-free.
• The ceremony was overseen by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development.
• The Speaker of the Lok Sabha announced that 1,000 women would receive food supplies for one month as part of this Abhiyan.
• The child's health would also be covered at the same time, including birth, medical examinations, blood tests, and medication.
• In the initial stage of the initiative, 1,000 pregnant women received kits including a 17-kilogramme balanced diet.
• The scheme would require the identified women to sign up for adoption on a website.
• From a family, only one expectant mother would be adopted.
• The second phase of the "Suposhit Maa Abhiyan" was introduced by the Lok Sabha Speaker in Kota, Rajasthan, in May 2022.
• 3000 women received nutrition kits for 9 months as part of the second phase.

Other schemes for women and child health:

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

• According to the National Food Security Act of 2013, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a Maternity Benefit Program that is implemented in all of the country's districts.
• Granting financial incentives as partial compensation for the woman's lost wages so she can get enough rest before and after giving birth to her first child.
• The financial incentive offered would encourage more pregnant women and Lactating mothers (PW& LM) to seek out health care.
• A beneficiary is only qualified to receive benefits once under the scheme.
• The beneficiary would be qualified to collect the remaining instalment(s) in the event of a subsequent pregnancy in the event of a miscarriage or stillbirth.
• The program, which is centrally sponsored, has a cost-sharing ratio of 60:40 between the centre and the states and UTs with legislatures and 90:10 for the north-eastern states and the three Himalayan states. Support for Union Territories without a legislature comes entirely from the centre.

Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS):

• A well-known government flagship initiative is the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) Scheme, which provides children with supplemental nourishment, immunisations, and pre-school instruction.
• It was established in 1975 and is one of the biggest programmes in the world offering a comprehensive set of services for a child's whole development.
• The ICDS is a federally funded programme that is carried out by state and union territory administrations.
• The programme is comprehensive and applies to every district in the nation.
• The Scheme has been renamed Anganwadi Services.

Objectives:

• To better the nutritional and physical health of children between the ages of 0 and 6;
• To establish the framework for a child's optimal psychological, physical, and social development;
• To decrease the prevalence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition, and school dropout; to achieve effective policy and implementation coordination among the various departments to promote child development; and to improve the mother's ability to take care of the child's basic nutritional and health needs by providing her with appropriate nutrition and health education.

‘Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna’:

• As part of the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" campaign, the "Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna" is a small deposit program for girls that offers an enticing interest rate and income tax deductions.

Benefits:

• Interest on deposits is 8.40% starting on October 1st, 2019. With the option for monthly interest payments to be calculated on a balance in the thousands, compounded annually.
• As applicable under section 80C of the IT Act, 1961, the scheme has been extended Triple exempt benefits i.e. there will be no tax on the amount invested, the amount earned as interest and the amount withdrawn.

Eligibility:

• For up to two females under the age of ten, parents or legal guardians may open deposits on their behalf. This includes adopted girls.
• Three girl children, in case of twin girls as second birth or the first birth itself results in three girl children.
• A girl's name may only be used to open one account.
• Initial deposits must be a minimum of Rs. 250, followed by multiples of Rs. 150, with a cap of Rs. 150000 every fiscal year.
• Deposits may only be made for a maximum of 15 years after the account is opened.
• The account will mature when the account user marries or when they have been open for 21 years, whichever comes first.