Are you a beneficiary of govt's social schemes? Thank PM Modi via video

Social scheme benefits for which Women and Child ministry is demanding gratitude are legal entitlements under the UPA-era National Food Security Act

The Women and Child Development ministry wants beneficiaries to express their gratitude to the ‘Modi Sarkar’ for the benefits they are getting under various social schemes of the ministry. It has sent written instructions to all state governments to shoot or get beneficiaries to shoot videos thanking the government for the benefits. These videos are to be then spread through the social media accounts the ministry runs. 

The Women and Child Development ministry administers the Integrated Child Development Services, a bouquet of benefits that collectively form one of the largest social development schemes of the government. Unlike most other social schemes, most ICDS benefits are legal entitlements of the beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, which the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government enacted. The law obligates the government of the day to deliver these benefits, such as food for poor children. The government cannot withdraw or alter these benefits without approval of the Parliament.

But, the Women and Child Development ministry, wanting to showcase the ‘significant achievements made in the last four years’ wants beneficiaries to put on record their gratitude and thank the NDA government through videos for these benefits which it administers and the state officials deliver.

Instructions were sent on May 31 to all states asking that block and district level officials who administer the schemes in the states get these videos shot and send within two days to the ministry. Business Standard reviewed the ministry’s orders. 

A fixed format for scripting the videos was also dictated for everyone to follow. 

According to this format, the beneficiaries will first mention their name and location. Then narrate how the government’s scheme has benefited them. At the end, they will thank the government for the benefits. 

The Women and Child Development ministry’s missive says, “It is requested to kindly send the videos highlighting the significant achievements of this ministry made in the last four years adhering to the following format.”

It goes on to say, “Conclude by thanking the government e.g., Main Modi Sarkar ka abhaar vyakt karna chahti/chahta hoon (I want to express my gratitude to Modi Sarkar).”

A similar set of instructions from the Union government were also sent on a Whatsapp group that the ministry runs with all state officials as members of the group. Business Standard reviewed these instructions. The instructions read, “Office of the Honourable Minister is seeking videos of beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (Prime Minister’s Maternity Benefits Scheme) to be posted on social media accounts of the ministry to highlight the significant achievements of the government made in the last four years.”

It further reads, “Beneficiaries/block level officials can record the videos on mobile phones.” The state officials were ordered to treat these instructions as “most urgent”.

The instructions to make videos on the ministry’s maternity benefit scheme were sent along with sample videos for everyone to use as a template. One of the videos shows a young woman who claims to be from Gurgaon, Haryana. She is recorded saying that she is getting benefits from the maternity benefit scheme. Following the format dictated from the ministry, she then goes on to conclude, “I want to thank Modi Sarkar for starting the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme. Thank you so much.”

Another video shows a woman in a veiled face from Muzzafarnagar, Uttar Pradesh made to stand with others, reading out from an off-camera script at times, also thanking the government for maternity benefits scheme.

Ironically, records show the government has been sluggish in ensuring the benefits of the maternity benefit scheme reach the mandated beneficiaries under the food security law. Under the National Food Security law, the scheme should have begun in 2014. But only after the Supreme Court had at least twice questioned the government for delays over it did the NDA government rename and expand an existing scheme of the UPA era, the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana, only to launch it in May 2017. The law required expecting mothers to be given Rs 6,000 as cash support. The government put conditions in the scheme that reduced the number of beneficiaries. It also clubbed funds from another existing scheme to show that beneficiaries would get Rs 6,000 per institutional delivery. Even out of this curtailed list of potential 5.16 million beneficiaries, the government has been able to provide benefits to only half so far. 

The ministry’s twitter handle has already started tweeting out these videos that it ordered from across the country.



In this https://twitter.com/MinistryWCD/status/1007169129974034433 video a lady stands with her hands folded and tells the benefit she has got from the one stop centre, Sakhi, funded by the ministry. She then goes on to say, “Main humare pyaare Pradhan mantra modi ji ko dhanywad bolna chahti hoon (I want to thank our loving Prime Minsiter Modi ji).”

Several other such videos have begun to pepper the ministry’s social media handles