Cash Plus Model Pushes up early breastfeeding rate, dietary diversity in Rajasthan, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• Rajasthan's Cash Plus model, a convergence of Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) and Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC), led to a 49% increase in early breastfeeding (now at 90%).
• 49% improvement in dietary diversity among pregnant women.
• 54% more women are using the cash benefits specifically for nutritional purposes.
• 44% of women reported being more receptive to home-based counselling.
• Over 3.3 million women have directly benefited from the scheme.
• The scheme augments the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and includes second-time mothers.
• Launched as a pilot in 2020 in five districts, scaled statewide in 2022 with a budget of ₹210 crore.

Detailed Insights:

• The Cash Plus model is India’s first State-led integrated approach combining financial incentives with targeted counselling to improve maternal and child nutrition outcomes.
• Unlike PMMVY, which only supports the first child, this model also targets second-time mothers, broadening its impact.
• It uses SBCC interventions like home visits, group sessions, and digital outreach to promote health awareness, early registration of pregnancies, and institutional deliveries.
• The scheme includes nutrition counselling, anemia detection, and vaccination assistance to bridge systemic gaps in maternal healthcare.
• Challenges remain, such as incomplete data on maternal deaths, healthcare access disparity in rural areas, poverty, and low educational coverage.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC): A strategy that uses communication to change behaviors, attitudes, and social norms for better health outcomes.
• Dietary Diversity Score: A metric used to measure the variety of food groups consumed over a reference period, which indicates the nutritional adequacy of a diet.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): A mechanism for transferring subsidies directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries to reduce leakages and improve targeting.

Mains Mock Question:

Q.  Evaluate the effectiveness of integrating Direct Benefit Transfers with Social and Behaviour Change Communication in improving maternal and child nutrition outcomes. Illustrate with reference to Rajasthan’s Cash Plus model.