States asked to come up with common IGMSY strategy

Secretaries of the Union health and women and child development ministries have written to the states to coordinate and jointly come up with a strategy for properly executing the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), a scheme for pregnant and lactating women.

Secretaries of the Union health and women and child development ministries have written to the states to coordinate and jointly come up with a strategy for properly executing the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), a scheme for pregnant and lactating women.

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"The state departments of health and family welfare and women and child development must collectively decide an effective strategy for securing convergence at the field level," a letter, a copy of which is with HT, written jointly by D K Sikri, secretary, women and child development ministry and health secretary K Chandramouli and addressed to all the state secretaries of the two ministries said.

Launched in October 2010, IGMSY is a centrally-sponsored conditional cash transfer scheme which will be implemented using the infrastructure, personnel, systems and structures of the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) scheme. It is being implemented on a pilot basis in all the Anganwadi Centres in 52 districts across the country.

"The success of the scheme in the pilot phase would decide its expansion to the whole country," the letter said.

The scheme, for which Rs 610 crore has been allocated for 2011-12, aims at improving the health and nutritional status of the target group.

Under the IGMSY scheme, a cash incentive of Rs 4000 is to be provided in three installments to pregnant and lactating women of 19 years and above, for their first two live births subject to the women fulfilling conditions relating to maternal child health and nutrition.