CM presents initiatives at summit on Women and Child Development
Source: The Sangai Express

New Delhi, October 09 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the valedictory session of the Departmental Summit on Women and Child Development held at Shakuntalam Hall, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi during which Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh presented the State's initiatives aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and outcomes of key interventions under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) .

The summit was attended by political leaders and senior officials associated with the women and child development sector from various States and Union Territories, including Manipur.

CM presents initiatives at summit on Women and Child Development

PMMVY is a flagship Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme that aims to provide maternity benefits to pregnant women and lactating mothers.

The scheme seeks to provide financial assistance to women during pregnancy and lactation, particularly those belonging to economically vulnerable sections while also addressing gender bias by encouraging and supporting the birth of girl children.

During his presentation, Khemchand Singh highlighted that the scheme has disbursed over Rs 21,800 crore directly into the bank accounts of more than 4.76 crore mothers across the country.

He added that the scheme plays an important role in ensuring that economic vulnerability does not become a barrier to healthy motherhood.

Emphasising the technology-driven and citizen-centric approach of PMMVY, the Chief Minister highlighted the policy benchmark that beneficiaries should receive their benefits within 30 days of submitting their applications.

He noted that timely disbursement requires coordinated action among various stakeholders and field-level functionaries involved in the processing of applications and payments.

He informed that recent initiatives under the scheme include Aadhaar-based facial recognition to ensure that benefits reach the intended beneficiaries, a Due List mechanism through the Poshan Tracker to enable Anganwadi Workers to proactively identify and reach out to eligible pregnant women and lactating mothers and a strengthened three-tier grievance redressal system.

Khemchand added that the Search and Track feature has further enhanced transparency and accountability by enabling beneficiaries to monitor the status of their applications and payments.

The Chief Minister's presentation also highlighted the importance of effective implementation, technology-enabled service delivery and beneficiary-oriented interventions in improving the reach and outcomes of the scheme.

Manipur's participation in the summit provided an opportunity to exchange views and discuss measures to strengthen key interventions aimed at women's welfare and empowerment.

As part of the deliberations, several good practices adopted by different States were highlighted for possible replication in other States to improve the implementation of PMMVY .

Sharing examples of State-level initiatives, Khemchand noted that Assam has deployed a dedicated team to strengthen day-to-day coordination with the State Finance Department.

Jharkhand has introduced a monthly district-wise and project-wise performance bulletin to improve field-level monitoring, while Chhattisgarh conducts daily open-house sessions to address operational issues raised by field functionaries.

Maharashtra, on the other hand, has established a digital database with accurate mapping of Anganwadi Workers, Supervisors and Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) .

He added that these practices demonstrate the importance of effective coordination, regular monitoring, prompt grievance resolution and accurate administrative databases in improving programme delivery and ensuring accountability.

Addressing key implementation challenges, the Chief Minister emphasised the need for stronger digital integration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

He said such integration could facilitate access to relevant maternal and child health information, including key dates relating to the last menstrual period, antenatal care, delivery and vaccination, thereby reducing repetitive documentation requirements for beneficiaries.

Khemchand Singh also stressed the need to review the eligibility criteria to ensure that benefits reach the intended disadvantaged and vulnerable women.

Referring to the PMMVY Toolkit developed by the Ministry, the Chief Minister highlighted its value as a practical resource containing step-by-step guidance and application screenshots for Anganwadi Workers and supervisory officials.

He emphasised the need for States to translate the toolkit into regional languages and ensure its wide dissemination among frontline workers to strengthen their capacity and improve implementation.

On the financial front, the deliberations covered the migration of the PMMVY payment mechanism to SNA-SPARSH and the associated integration of the PMMVY portal with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) of States and Union Territories.

The Chief Minister further underscored the importance of close coordination between State Women and Child Development Departments and State Finance Departments to ensure smooth flow of funds and timely payment to beneficiaries.

Concluding his presentation, Khemchand Singh emphasised the need for stronger inter-departmental coordination, wider adoption of successful State practices, improved digital systems, enhanced field-level monitoring and effective grievance redressal.

He also called upon States and Union Territories to work towards saturation coverage so that every eligible woman can access the benefits available under PMMVY.It may be mentioned that the two-day Departmental Summit on Women and Child Development held in New Delhi commenced on October 8 and concluded on October 9, 2026 .