Cash transfer scheme improves maternal, infant health care in Odisha: Study

As many as 60% women across 1,161 households in three districts were enrolled in the scheme and 90% enrolled mothers had received the money

There was a 5-percentage-point increase in the possibility of receiving antenatal services–such as full body check ups, blood tests, information about baby’s position and health–due to the Mamata Scheme, a conditional cash transfer programme of Rs 5,000 over four installments to pregnant and lactating women in Odisha.

The beneficiaries of the scheme, launched in 2011, were more likely to adhere to the specified conditions–especially during the pregnancy–and increased pregnancy registrations, according to this 2017 study of the scheme by Partnerships and Opportunities to strengthen and Harmonise Actions for Nutrition in India (POSHAN), an advocacy.