MOTHERHOOD ALLOWANCE..

Chhattisgarh has become the first state in india to start paying one-month motherhood allowance, with maternity leave, to pregnant women working under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA).

Though the announcement to implement this scheme was made by chief minister Raman Singh at the last assembly session, it was officially launched on Friday with water resource minister Ramvichar Netam distributing cheques worth Rs 4,380 each to five women workers of Durg development block.

Under the motherhood benefit scheme, 30-day wage would be given to six to nine month pregnant women working under MNREGA through the Janpad Panchayat concerned. This benefit would be given to them one month after delivery also.

For getting the benefit, name of the woman concerned should be in the job card of registered families of MNREGA. Besides, it will be mandatory that the concerned woman should have worked in MNREGA for at least 15 days in a year.

The government has also decided to give 50-day additional work to the labourers working under MNREGA and it would be funded by state government. Now, MNREGA workers will get 150 days job in a year in Chhattisgarh, while, in this Central government scheme, provision of only 100 days job has been made.