Maternal health is pivotal to a healthy society and a thriving nation. Maintaining the health and well-being of mothers directly impacts the physical, emotional, and socio-economic growth of families and communities. Recognising this critical linkage, the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritised holistic maternal health care through comprehensive programs and initiatives aimed at ensuring healthy motherhood, which in turn builds a healthier nation.

When PM Modi emphasised the importance of maternal health in shaping the well-being of children and the future of the nation, it reflected the government’s dedicated efforts. India’s efforts over the last 11 years have significantly transformed the maternal health landscape, making it accessible, affordable, and providing quality care at every stage, from pregnancy to delivery and postnatal care.

Protecting Dignity by Ensuring Basic Amenities

The foremost step towards healthier motherhood started with creating an ecosystem of safe hygiene. Since PM Modi’s first Independence Day speech in 2014, a powerful momentum for women’s dignity and hygiene began. The impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission extended beyond building toilets. Over 12 crore toilets have been constructed in 11 years, ensuring women’s safety and dignity with 100% rural coverage. Gone are the days when women had to delay eating or drinking to manage natural urges, thanks to improvements in menstrual hygiene and well-being. This has also had a positive impact on mothers and children by reducing infections and promoting healthier living environments. As reported by a Nature study, the Swachh Bharat Mission saves the lives of 60,000-70,000 infants annually by eradicating open defecation.

Along similar lines, the Jal Jeevan Mission (2019) revolutionised access to safe water, increasing household tap connections from 3 crore in 2019 to over 15 crore in 2025. This freed women from the daily burden of fetching water, improving health outcomes, especially for mothers and children, by reducing waterborne diseases. A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has projected that providing safely managed drinking water to all households could prevent nearly 4,00,000 deaths from diarrheal diseases.

Antenatal Care – The First Step Towards Safe Motherhood

Antenatal care (ANC) is the foundation of maternal health. It involves regular check-ups, timely identification of risks, and preventive measures during pregnancy, thus reducing complications and mortality rates. Recognising its paramount importance, the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) in 2016 to provide assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care free of cost to pregnant women. As of March 2025, nearly 6 crore women have benefited from this initiative, receiving essential ANC services. PMSMA’s success lies not just in its extensive reach but also in its focus on high-risk pregnancies, ensuring timely referrals and interventions. It has been reported that, as of 2024, 76.49 lakh high-risk pregnancies have been identified under PMSMA across states/ UTs. Currently, more than 21,000 healthcare facilities are providing PMSMA services nationwide and eliminating risks associated with pregnancy. Through this program, India has significantly improved maternal outcomes, especially in underserved and remote areas.

Financial Support – Empowering Mothers for Better Care

Financial constraints often pose significant barriers for women to access proper maternal care, especially among economically disadvantaged groups. Women tend to ignore their health, even during pregnancy, to meet the mere day-to-day living expenses for the household. Keeping in mind such vulnerabilities faced by women, the PM Modi-led government implemented the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a maternity benefit scheme aimed at providing direct cash transfers to pregnant and lactating women. Nearly 4 crore mothers have received financial support under PMMVY as of March 2025. This direct cash assistance encourages timely antenatal visits, institutional deliveries, and improved nutrition during pregnancy and lactation. The scheme offers a partial wage compensation of Rs. 5,000 in two instalments for the first two living children, helping women manage expenses related to healthcare, nutrition, and rest during a critical phase. Under this scheme, a woman will also get Rs. 6,000 for her second child if it’s a girl. Hence, it helps shift the mindset towards valuing a girl child.

Beyond monetary aid, this scheme plays a vital role in boosting institutional delivery rates, thereby enhancing maternal and newborn health outcomes. It also fosters financial inclusion by linking benefits directly to bank accounts, empowering women economically and socially.

Maternal Nutrition – Building the Foundation for Healthy Generations

Good maternal nutrition is critical for healthy pregnancies and successful childbirth. The government’s Pradhan Mantri's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, aims to improve nutritional outcomes for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children.

With a reach extending to over 10 crore beneficiaries, POSHAN Abhiyaan ensures adequate intake of essential nutrients through regular supplementation. The program is also in sync with Anaemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, which promotes the consumption of iron-folic acid tablets to combat anaemia, and has been working towards reducing the prevalence of anaemia.

The mission’s success is evident in the decline of maternal anaemia rates and improvement in child health indicators, laying the groundwork for a healthier future generation.

Immunisation – Protecting Mothers and Newborns

Immunisation during pregnancy is vital to safeguard both mother and child from infectious diseases that can cause severe complications or even mortality. While considering its importance, Mission Indradhanush was launched in 2014 and intensified later as Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI), targeting universal immunisation coverage, including pregnant women., This mission adopts a targeted approach, prioritising districts and pockets where immunisation levels remain low, thereby striving to bridge critical gaps in vaccine coverage and ensuring that no child is left unprotected. Since its inception, twelve phases of Mission Indradhanush have been completed, covering 554 districts nationwide.

As of March 2025, approximately 1.32 crore pregnant women and more than 5.46 crore children have been vaccinated under this mission. These are not only numbers but the opportunities through which many probable diseases are eliminated at the very start.

Safe Deliveries – Ensuring Quality and Institutional Care

Safe childbirth is the ultimate goal of maternal health care. Institutional deliveries attended by skilled health professionals significantly reduce risks related to childbirth complications, infections, and maternal deaths. Since 2014, India has made remarkable progress in increasing institutional delivery rates, driven by several flagship schemes, including the Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative (LaQshya). As of March 2025, institutional deliveries have reached an impressive 97.3%, indicating that nearly all births now take place in health facilities with skilled attendants. This rate was only 61% in 2014.

Currently, over 1,100 labour rooms and 800+ operation theatres (OTs) across the country have been certified under LaQshya standards, ensuring safe delivery and quality postnatal care for many mothers and newborns. This certification ensures a safer and more comfortable birthing experience, reduces complications, and fosters trust in public healthcare facilities. As a result of such initiatives, the maternal mortality rate in India has also declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 in 2018-20.

Another initiative named PM Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) was launched in 2019. This initiative aims to ensure that every woman and newborn visiting public health facilities receives assured, dignified, respectful, and quality healthcare at no cost, with zero tolerance for denial of services, and eliminating all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

The current government also extended maternity benefits from the existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks, which came as a big support to all working mothers. Similarly, day-care crèche facilities are being provided through the Palna scheme. It is for all mothers, irrespective of their employment status.

The comprehensive approach to maternal health in India, combining all stages of pregnancy to post-delivery care, shows the nation’s commitment to building a healthier and more prosperous nation. As India moves towards its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, strengthening maternal health care remains a top priority.