PM Matru Vandana Yojana: ₹5,000 for your first child, ₹6,000 for a second daughter, and how to claim it

By the author of From Rupees to Riches: Master the Indian Wealth Game. Published 4 November 2026. Scheme details last verified 4 November 2026.

PM Matru Vandana Yojana pays ₹5,000 to a mother for her first living child, in two instalments, straight into her Aadhaar-linked bank or post office account. If her second child is a girl, she gets another ₹6,000 in one instalment after the birth. You qualify if you are pregnant or have just given birth and fall in any one of several groups, the widest being a net family income below ₹8 lakh a year. Women in regular government or public sector jobs are left out.

Across two children, that is up to ₹11,000. You apply through your Anganwadi worker or ASHA, or on the official PMMVY portal, and the first ₹3,000 depends on registering the pregnancy and having an antenatal check-up within six months of your last period. Miss that window and you can lose the first instalment, which is why it pays to know the rules early.

What PM Matru Vandana Yojana is

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a central maternity benefit scheme run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It started on 1 January 2017 and is now part of the "Samarthya" sub-scheme of Mission Shakti. The money is meant to make up for some of the wages a woman loses while she rests before and after childbirth, and to nudge families towards antenatal care and vaccination.

The scheme is live and paying. A PIB release of 21 August 2026 reported more than ₹21,343 crore paid to more than 4.60 crore women. A reply in Parliament on 12 August 2026 said the scheme runs in 35 states and union territories. Telangana is the exception: it was still being added to the PMMVY portal. Odisha started paying in 2025-26.

Who can apply: PM Matru Vandana Yojana eligibility

You must be a pregnant woman or a mother who has just given birth, and the benefit covers only your first two living children. Then you must belong to at least one of these groups, according to the Delhi government's scheme page and the Nagaland government's notice, which list the same Mission Shakti categories:

• Your net family income is below ₹8 lakh a year.
• You belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
• You have a disability of 40% or more.
• You hold a BPL ration card.
• You are an Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) beneficiary.
• You hold an e-Shram card.
• You are a woman farmer who receives PM-KISAN.
• You hold an MGNREGA job card.
• You are an Anganwadi worker, Anganwadi helper or ASHA who is pregnant or has just given birth.
• You fall in any other category the central government notifies.

You cannot claim if you are in regular employment with the central or state government or a public sector undertaking, or if you already get similar maternity benefits under another law.

The ₹8 lakh income test opens the scheme to many families outside the other categories. A woman in a private job whose family earns below ₹8 lakh a year qualifies on income alone. You need only one category, not all of them.

What you get, in rupees

The amounts below come from the PIB release of 21 August 2026 and the instalment conditions from the Delhi government's scheme page.

So a first child brings ₹5,000. A second daughter brings ₹6,000 more, for a total of ₹11,000 across two children. If the second child is a boy, there is no second payment.

Two more rules matter. Since April 2022 the scheme has paid in two instalments instead of three. And a woman who has a miscarriage or stillbirth is treated as a new beneficiary for a later pregnancy, so she does not lose her claim (PIB, 9 June 2026).

PMMVY is separate from Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which pays a cash amount for giving birth in a hospital. Taken together, the government says a mother receives about ₹6,000 on average for her first child.

How to apply for PM Matru Vandana Yojana

Many women apply through the Anganwadi centre or ASHA in their area, who registers them on the scheme's software. You can also enrol yourself on the PMMVY portal or through UMANG, according to the government's scheme note of August 2025.

1. Register the pregnancy early. As soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, register at your Anganwadi centre or an approved health facility and get your Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card.
2. Have at least one antenatal check-up within six months of your last period. It must be recorded on the MCP card. This unlocks the first ₹3,000.
3. Fill in the application. Your Anganwadi worker can register you, or you can fill in the form (Form 1-A) and hand it in at the Anganwadi centre with the documents listed below.
4. Complete Aadhaar face authentication. Since 21 May 2025, Aadhaar biometric (face) authentication is mandatory at registration.
5. For a second daughter, register during the pregnancy too. The Delhi government's page says registration during pregnancy is mandatory for the ₹6,000 benefit, even though the money is paid after the birth.
6. After the birth, register the birth and get the first vaccines done. Once the birth registration and the first vaccination cycle are recorded, the second instalment of ₹2,000 (or the ₹6,000 for a second daughter) is released.
7. Track the payment. The portal has a "Search and Track" facility to check where your application stands.

The money arrives by direct benefit transfer, so your bank or post office account must be linked to your Aadhaar and enabled for DBT (PIB, 4 August 2025).

Documents you need

• Aadhaar card. Payments are made only against your own Aadhaar number.
• Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card, showing the date of your last period, antenatal check-ups and later the baby's vaccinations.
• Bank or post office account details. The account must be in your name, seeded with Aadhaar and enabled for DBT.
• Your mobile number, or your husband's or a family member's.
• One document that proves your category: for example a caste certificate, BPL or NFSA ration card, e-Shram card, Ayushman Bharat card, MGNREGA job card, disability certificate, or proof of family income.
• For the second instalment: the baby's birth registration.

Common reasons applications get rejected

• Account not linked to Aadhaar or not enabled for DBT. Payments go only to such accounts. Ask your bank to seed Aadhaar and enable DBT before you apply.
• Late antenatal check-up. If the first check-up is not done and recorded within six months of your last period, the first instalment can be refused. Register as early as you can.
• Name or date of birth mismatch between Aadhaar, the bank account and the MCP card. Fix these at the Aadhaar centre or bank first.
• No proof of category. You must show at least one eligibility document. If you rely on the income test, ask your Anganwadi worker which income proof your state accepts.
• Second child not registered during pregnancy. For the ₹6,000 benefit, register before the birth.
• Excluded job. Women in regular central or state government or PSU jobs are not eligible.
• Third or later child. The scheme covers only the first two living children.

If a payment is stuck, raise a grievance on the portal. States must resolve grievances within 14 days, according to the August 2026 release.

Similar schemes worth comparing

• Janani Suraksha Yojana. A separate cash benefit for giving birth in a hospital, paid through the health department. You can get both.
• State maternity and girl child schemes. Many states pay their own benefits on top of PMMVY. Check your state's page under schemes by state.
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana. For a daughter under 10, a savings scheme that pays 8.2% a year in October to December 2026. See the current SSY interest rate, and use the Sukanya Samriddhi calculator to see what regular deposits grow to.
• Education later. For college costs, PM-Vidyalaxmi offers collateral-free education loans, with an interest subsidy for families earning up to ₹8 lakh a year.

Questions people ask

How much money is given under PM Matru Vandana Yojana?

₹5,000 for the first child, in two instalments of ₹3,000 and ₹2,000. ₹6,000 for the second child if she is a girl, paid once after the birth.

Can I apply after my baby is born?

The first instalment depends on an antenatal check-up within six months of your last period, so registering during pregnancy matters. For a second daughter, registration during pregnancy is mandatory. Ask your Anganwadi worker straight away if you have not yet registered.

I work in a private company. Can I still apply?

Yes, if you meet one of the categories, for example a net family income below ₹8 lakh a year. Only women in regular central or state government or PSU jobs, or those getting similar benefits under another law, are left out.

Is the scheme open in every state?

It runs in 35 states and union territories. In August 2026 Telangana was still being added to the PMMVY portal, so mothers there should check with their Anganwadi centre.

Is there a helpline?

Yes. The August 2026 release names a toll-free helpline, 1515, while a 2025 release gave 14408. Check the number shown on the PMMVY portal before you call.

Never pay an agent to apply. Apply only on the official portal linked above.

For education only. Not investment, tax or legal advice. See our disclaimer.