Blitz Bureau
LAUNCHED in June 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It was designed to provide assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care services free of cost to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month, particularly during the second and third trimesters.
The core aim of the scheme is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by facilitating early detection and prompt management of high-risk pregnancies. As of now, 6.19 crore pregnant women have been examined under PMSMA. The programme follows a systematic approach for engagement with private sector which includes motivating private practitioners to volunteer for the campaign, help in developing strategies for spreading awareness and participate in the Abhiyan at government health facilities.
PMSMA objectives
The Government’s combined efforts to provide antenatal care and ensure proper nutrition for pregnant women have led to a significant improvement in India’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR), which declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 80 per lakh live births in 2021-23 – a notable reduction of 50 points.
The PMSMA aligns with the broader goals of the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy under the National Health Mission (NHM). Its main objectives include: Ensuring that every pregnant woman receives at least one check-up by a physician/specialist during the second or third trimester.
Improve the quality of care during antenatal visits. Identifying and managing high-risk pregnancies (HRP) at an early stage. Appropriate birth planning and complication readiness for each pregnant woman. Ensuring appropriate management of women with malnutrition. Special focus on adolescent and early pregnancies.
Significant features
Extended PMSMA: The E-PMSMA strategy was rolled out in January 2022 to ensure tracing and tracking of High-Risk Pregnant (HRP) women till a safe delivery is achieved by provisioning financial incentivisation for the identified HRP women and accompanying Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) for extra three visits over and above the PMSMA visit.
As of December 31, 2024, more than 78.27 lakhs High Risk Pregnancies have been identified across all States/UTs. The key features of E-PMSMA include name-based line listing of HRPs; provision of additional PMSMA session (maximum four 4 times in a month); individual tracking of HRP up to healthy outcome (till 45th day after delivery); and SMS alert to beneficiary as well as to the ASHA for registration of HRP and follow-up visits. The PMSMA complements other existing programmes of the Government like: Janani Suraksha Yojana: Launched to incentivise institutional deliveries through conditional cash transfers. This scheme has benefitted over 11.07 crore women as of March 2025.
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram: Launched to promote free institutional delivery and neonatal care. More than 16.60 crore beneficiaries have been served since 2014–15. LaQshya: Initiative for improving quality of care in labour rooms.
SUMAN facilities
The Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) has been launched to strengthen respectful and quality care for pregnant women. A total of 90,015 SUMAN health facilities have been notified across the country by March 2025.
POSHAN Abhiyaan: Launched to target the most vulnerable – children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers – by revamping the nutrition services. As of present, there are 6.97 crore Poshan Pakhwadas across the country. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: Launched to promote institutional delivery and ensuring maternal health, the scheme provides direct cash benefits of Rs 5,000 to pregnant and lactating women. To conclude, the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) represents a targeted and structured approach to maternal health. By offering quality antenatal care services on a fixed day each month, identifying HRPs, and strengthening the digital ecosystem through E-PMSMA, the scheme plays a pivotal role in reducing maternal mortality and promoting safe pregnancies across the country.
