Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Women & Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Mumbai guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and MoS WCD Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai were present at the event held in Yashwantrao Chavan Centre.

The event, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, was touted to be a comprehensive celebration of motherhood and was organised in two distinct sessions--a workshop session and culminating in an inaugural session which was chaired by CM Shinde.

The event was also suppoed to carry a momentous announcement– the release of a 'User Manual on PMMVY,' the launch of a 'New Portal and Mobile App,' and the initiation of 'Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)' to beneficiaries across the country.

During the course of the event, under the PMMVY, the government announced the provision of benefits for the second girl child and they aimed at promoting a positive attitude towards female children and addressing issues like female foeticide.

Additionally, the event marked the release of a comprehensive User Manual, catering to various stakeholders, including citizens, field functionaries, supervisors, sanctioning officers, district nodal officers, and state nodal officers.

According to the media statement by the ministry, the primary objective of PMMVY is to provide financial incentives to compensate for wage loss during pregnancy, enabling women to rest adequately before and after childbirth. Furthermore, the scheme aims to encourage healthy practices among pregnant and lactating mothers.

Supporting women from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the scheme provides a maternity benefit of Rs 5,000, which has been extended to support a second girl child. The scheme also places significant emphasis on timely immunisation, childbirth registration, and institutional birth registrations.