Realising Gender Transformative Potential of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): An Interplay of Reproductive, Financial and Digital Autonomy

Mayur Trivedi; Yogita Chaudhary; Rajna Mishra; Arunima Ghosal; Sanghita Bhattacharyya; Swati Bachani Singh; Ambarish Dutta; Sarit Kumar Rout

doi:10.53007/SJGC.2026.V11.I2.303

Authors

Mayur Trivedi
Yogita Chaudhary
Rajna Mishra
Arunima Ghosal
Sanghita Bhattacharyya
Swati Bachani Singh
Ambarish Dutta
Sarit Kumar Rout

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53007/SJGC.2026.V11.I2.303

Keywords:

Conditional Cash Transfer, Maternal Health, Gender Equity, Reproductive Autonomy, Financial Inclusion, India

Abstract

India’s Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme aimed at improving maternal and child health by providing financial support to pregnant and lactating women. Despite its potential to empower beneficiaries, PMMVY’s impact on women’s autonomy remains underexplored. This paper aims to bridge the knowledge gap by a) identifying factors influencing the utilization of PMMVY from the perspectives of grassroots-level workers implementing and managing the schemes, policymakers, community leaders, and beneficiaries and b) analysing how it can achieve gender-transformative outcomes.

Author Biographies

Mayur Trivedi

is a faculty member at Azim Premji University, Bhopal, and formerly at the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar. His research interests include health economics, health financing, and evaluation of public health interventions, with a focus on marginalized populations. He is also engaged in public health filmmaking and pedagogical innovation. Dr. Trivedi brings over a decade of experience in field-based health systems research and has a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to health and development.

Yogita Chaudhary

is a public health professional with expertise in project management, epidemiology, and health policy research. She currently leads project management and data analysis initiatives at ICMR-NIE, focusing on the development of an epidemiological data platform to strengthen outbreak response and healthcare data standardization. Her experience spans program evaluations, multi-stakeholder collaborations, health insurance grievance mechanisms, and reproductive health research. She is also a meditation facilitator with the Art of Living organization.

Rajna Mishra

is a senior public health professional at the Public Health Foundation of India with over 20 years of experience across international organizations such as the World Bank, USAID, DFID, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Her expertise spans reproductive, maternal, child, and adolescent health; TB and HIV; health systems strengthening; and public health policy development, monitoring and evaluation. She has led major policy initiatives in multiple Indian states and has published and presented widely on health and population issues. Dr. Mishra is the first recipient of the Dr. C. Chandrashekaran Award for Young Demographers and has received multiple national and international fellowships and recognitions.

Arunima Ghosal

is a research professional at the Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health, Public Health Foundation of India. With four years of experience in public health research, her work focuses on nutrition, maternal and child health, health system strengthening, and public expenditure tracking. She is skilled in both qualitative and quantitative research, tool development, and field coordination, and has conducted training workshops across diverse geographies.

Sanghita Bhattacharyya

is a Senior Public Health Researcher at the Public Health Foundation of India with a doctorate in Population Studies and over a decade of experience in health systems research, maternal and child health, and community platform evaluation. She has led multi-disciplinary teams, managed grants, and collaborated with national and international stakeholders. Proficient in mixed-methods research, Dr. Bhattacharyya has authored nearly 35 peer-reviewed publications and serves as faculty and PhD supervisor in demography and public health.

Swati Bachani Singh

is a public health professional and PhD candidate at the University of Canberra, Australia. With clinical and field experience, her work focuses on health economics, financing, and policy. She brings strong analytical, leadership, and communication skills, and is committed to advancing equitable and evidence-informed health systems aligned with the goal of health for all.

Ambarish Dutta

is an Additional Professor of Epidemiology at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar. A medical graduate with an MPH from the University of Leeds and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Exeter, his career spans national TB control with WHO-India to academic research on ageing and chronic disease. He leads implementation research, conducts program evaluations, and teaches epidemiology and biostatistics while mentoring PhD scholars.

Sarit Kumar Rout

is a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar, with over 17 years of experience in health economics and policy research. His areas of expertise include health financing, national and state health accounts, economic evaluations, and tobacco economics. He has worked with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, WHO, and other international agencies, contributing to the development of India’s National Health Accounts and tobacco control policies. Dr. Rout also teaches health economics and health systems and serves on several expert committees of the Government of Odisha.