Suspension of Janani Janmaraksha Scheme: 664 Attappadi tribal women in distress

Agali (Palakkad): The plight of 664 tribal women in Attapadi has worsened due to the suspension of the 'Janani Janmaraksha' scheme, which was introduced in 2013 to offer financial assistance to pregnant women and mothers residing in tribal hamlets within the region.

At present, there are a total of 217 pregnant women and 447 mothers with children under one year of age. As per the scheme, they were provided with a monthly allowance of Rs 2000. That is, in total, Rs 13.28 lakh have to be allotted for them every month. However, this has been long overdue. 

The scheme aims to ensure good health and nutrition of mothers and children in the tribal community. All pregnant women are eligible for the benefits of the scheme from the third month of pregnancy till the child turns one. 

Initially, the monthly financial assistance was Rs 1,000 only. It was later increased to Rs 2,000 in 2018. The project fund is allocated from the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP). The distribution of the assistance continued till February, but later came to a standstill. 

Although there has been a slight drop in the number of infant deaths, there are several cases of premature deliveries happening in the area. Such newborns are provided treatment in hospitals for months. The ‘Janani Janmaraksha’ scheme had offered a major relief for those families. 

Meanwhile, ITDP project officer VK Suresh Kumar refrained from commenting on the matter.