Micro-Evaluation of intervention to improve implementation of PMMVY program delivery in Madhya Pradesh

In an attempt to improve health and nutrition outcomes among both pregnant women and lactating mothers (PW&LM) and infant children, the Government of India (GoI) launched the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) in 2017 to provide a conditional cash transfer (CCT) of Rs. 5,000 (~77 USD) to first-time PW&LM. As of February 2019, PMMVY had enrolled over 7.3 million beneficiaries, with over 13% of these enrollments in the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP). After extensive review of PMMVY in several districts in MP, the researchers found several key blockages to program implementation. They propose conducting two micro-evaluations of pilot interventions implemented by the Government of Madhya Pradesh: (1) using administrative data to assess the impact of digital beneficiary enrollment on average payment times and (2) using household surveys to assess the impact of postcard reminders on beneficiary awareness of PMMVY and receipt of cash transfers. The study will provide valuable feedback on program design to improve implementation of India’s flagship cash transfer program targeting maternal health and nutrition. Moreover, the micro-evaluations set the stage for the potential overall evaluation of PMMVY through an encouragement design.

This project is now closed; results forthcoming.