PALAKKAD: The Central Government-sponsored Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), aimed at ensuring that mothers and infants are healthy and disease free, will be implemented in Palakkad district as a pilot project in the State. The programme will later be implemented in the other districts also. Palakkad is among the 52 districts in the country selected by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to implement the scheme.According to the Social Welfare Department sources, women and infants, especially in rural areas, were found to be malnourished.“Under the scheme, the Centre will provide Rs 4,000 to pregnant and lactating women above the age of 19 years in three instalments from the second trimester of pregnancy till the infant turns six month old,” said sources in the Directorate of Social Welfare.The financial aid will be provided only for the first two deliveries.“The money will be deposited in the bank or post office accounts of the beneficiary and they could use it to buy nutritious food for themselves and the babies. We have asked the banks to open zero balance accounts for the women concerned,” said District Social Welfare Officer K G Sreedevi.All women, irrespective of being below or above the poverty line, will be provided the money. However, employees of the Central and State Governments and those of public sector undertakings, who were entitled to paid maternity leave, will not be eligible for it. The scheme will be implemented under ICDS.The workers of anganwadi will be assigned with the task of registering the pregnant woman and will be provided incentives for the same. After the full disbursal of Rs 4,000 for a woman, the anganwadi worker will get an incentive of Rs 200 and the anganwadi helper Rs 100.As per the baseline survey conducted by the anganwadis, 35,144 women in the district will benefit from the scheme. Social Welfare Department sources said every registered beneficiary under the IGMSY will receive a mother and child protection card from the respective anganwadi worker.The MCP card will be used as a means of verification for the payment.The scheme is being implemented as per the recommendation of the Planning Commission.
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