The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its green signal for the implementation of Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana. Under the scheme, each of the pregnant and lactating woman will receive a total cash incentive of Rs. 4,000 in three instalments. This will be between the period from the second trimester of pregnancy till the infant attains the age of six months. The scheme to be implemented on pilot basis in 52 selected districts in the remaining period of 11th five year will be fully sponsored with hundred percent assistance from the Centre. Briefing media the Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram said that 13.8 lakh pregnant and lactating women are expected to get the benefit in the initial years. The scheme will be applicable to pregnant woman of 19 years of age or above for the first two births. Each of the beneficiary will be required to open individual account in the nearest bank of the Post office for cash transfer. All the employees of the government, public sector units of the Centre and the State will be excluded from the scheme as they are already entitled for paid maternity leave. The Cabinet has given its nod for extending the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, RSBY to the street vendors. The scheme is presently meant for families living Below the Poverty Line. The government proposes to cover all the registered street vendors by 2013-14. 4.21 lakh street vendors are proposed to be covered during the current financial year itself. Our correspondent says that according to the last Census there were over 42 lakh street vendors who form an important segment of the unorganised sector. 75 percent of the premium of the Insurance scheme will be paid by the Centre and 25 percent by the States. In case of north eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir the expenditure between the Centre and the State will be in the ratio of 90 is to 10. The total expenditure by the Centre during the current year will be 20 crore rupees and the recurring expenditure after 2013-14 will be around two hundred crore rupees annually. AIR correspondent says that the beneficiaries under the RSBY are entitled to get upto 30 thousand rupees for most of the diseases which require hospitalisation. The scheme has been operationalised in 24 States and more than 1.95 crore smart cards have been issued per family covering more than 7 crore persons.