AHMEDABAD: Nearly one in five frontline workers surveyed across eight districts of Gujarat said they had not received their incentive payments, while documentation and banking problems continued to hamper women's access to maternity benefits, according to a study released by the Right to Food Campaign in October 2026.
The study, conducted among 28 frontline workers in June and July 2026, examined access to maternity benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). The respondents included ASHA workers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Anganwadi workers.
The findings point to administrative hurdles in delivering welfare benefits, including outdated Aadhaar cards, discrepancies in official records, rejected applications and delayed payments. The campaign noted that the small sample could not establish how widespread these problems were across Gujarat.
Missing or outdated Aadhaar cards were the most commonly reported obstacle, cited by 13 of the 28 respondents, or around 46%. Bank account issues, missing documents and mismatches in names across documents were each reported by 12 respondents, or nearly 43%.
Ten respondents, or around 36%, cited low awareness of the schemes among families, while seven, or 25%, reported migration-related difficulties. OTP failures, poor internet connectivity, server downtime and online portal errors were among the other problems.
The survey found that 16 respondents, or around 57%, considered the online application process easy or very easy, while 12, or 43%, found it difficult or very difficult. Thirteen respondents said filling out PMMVY forms was easy, while nine described it as difficult.
According to the release, 81% of respondents said an application could be completed in less than an hour. However, the study noted that the time taken to fill out a form did not necessarily reflect the difficulties applicants faced in securing approval.
Application rejections were also reported. Thirteen respondents, or around 46%, said one or two applications were rejected on average each month. Five, or around 18%, reported three to five rejections a month, while one reported more than five. Eight respondents, or around 29%, reported no rejected applications.
The study also flagged delays and gaps in incentive payments to frontline workers. Twelve respondents, or 43%, said their payments were sometimes delayed, while five, or 18%, reported frequent delays. Five said they received payments on time, and six, or around 21%, said they had not received their incentives.
Some respondents also reported difficulties tracking payments. According to the release, applications were sometimes filed using an ASHA worker's identification, with payments credited to her account, leaving the concerned worker unable to access payment details or receive the money.
The workload figures highlighted the role of frontline workers in helping beneficiaries access the schemes. Six respondents, or 21.4%, said they worked with 11 to 20 pregnant women each month, while five, or 17.8%, dealt with more than 20. Three, or 10.7%, worked with fewer than five pregnant women monthly. Most respondents worked with six to 10 pregnant women.
Beyond maternity benefits, the Right to Food Campaign called for increased funding and better infrastructure for Anganwadi centres and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) system. Its demands include setting up centres in remote hamlets, migrant settlements and construction sites; providing eggs and milk as supplementary nutrition; improving kitchens, toilets and drinking water facilities; revising nutrition funding norms; filling vacancies; and improving remuneration and social security for Anganwadi workers and helpers.
The campaign also called for suspending mandatory e-KYC and Facial Recognition Technology requirements where they exclude eligible beneficiaries, along with an independent evaluation of Anganwadi services.
It further sought the extension of the Mid-Day Meal/PM POSHAN scheme to secondary and higher secondary students, beginning with government and local self-government schools in tribal areas. It called for meals containing pulses, vegetables and locally available nutritious foods, with particular attention to adolescent girls' nutrition and anaemia prevention.
The campaign urged the Union and Gujarat governments to address gaps in documentation, digital systems, payment mechanisms and frontline infrastructure to ensure eligible women and children can access essential nutrition, healthcare and childcare services.
