COIMBATORE: About 1.9 lakh pregnant women from Coimbatore district have benefitted from the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme (Dr MRMBS) in the last five years through which `86.66 crore fund has been disbursed, according to data available from the health department.
In 2020-21, 42,808 pregnant women benefitted from the scheme receiving Rs 17.91 crore. In 2021-22, Rs 16.42 crore was disbursed to 37,175 beneficiaries, and Rs 16.39 crore was disbursed to 38,908 beneficiaries in 2022-23. Rs 17.95 crore was released to 41,837 beneficiaries in 2023-24 and in 2024-25, Rs 17.97 crore was given to 29,214 pregnant women.
The Dr MRMBS is a state government scheme providing financial assistance to pregnant women, aiming to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) by ensuring access to nutritious food and compensating for wage loss during pregnancy.
The Dr MRMBS is a state government scheme providing financial assistance to pregnant women, aiming to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) by ensuring access to nutritious food and compensating for wage loss during pregnancy.
The scheme provides a total of Rs 18,000, including cash benefits of Rs 14,000 and nutrition kits worth Rs 4,000 to eligible pregnant women. This scheme is being implemented together with the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) which contributes to the overall financial assistance provided under MRMBS.
Pregnant mothers should register their pregnancy with health staff or through the Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME) portal before 12 weeks of pregnancy. The financial assistance used to be given in five instalments but is now being given in three instalments since 2024.
As per schedule, Rs 6,000 would be given in the fourth month and the remaining amount would be released after the child's birth during the fourth and ninth month respectively. Meanwhile, nutrition kits would be given in two instalments during the third and sixth months of the pregnancy.
Officials said they have made an effort to bring all pregnant women under the scheme. Village health nurses and urban health nurses are instructed to closely monitor the health of pregnant women and register them under the scheme.