Why in News:

• Every pregnant woman has to register on a software, PICME (Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation), in Tamil Nadu.

Background: / Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation:

• PICME or Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME) is a system deployed by the Tamil Nadu government to track all pregnant women. Pregnant women can register on https://picme.tn.gov.in/ right from inception of pregnancy until obtaining birth certificate for the new born. Persons registered under PICME are provided with a 12 digit RCH ID, which is be used to track all aspects of the pregnancy by the Public Health Department.

PICME Registration

• Expectant mothers can get PICME registration through the nearest government health care centers, hospitals and primary health care centers. Expectant mothers can also contact the local nurses or Aanganwadi center workers for collecting the 12-digit registration code. Finally, the application is also available at all village level CSC (Common Service Centers).
• Once, registered on the system, the expectant mothers can also avail benefits under the RCH scheme. Further, mothers registered on PICME will be monitored by local nurses during ante-natal stage. The nurse can also help you upload the document details on the official (Pregnant and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation) software.

Birth Certificates:

• Obtaining birth certificate for any child born from a mother having PICME registration is simple. After birth, the expectant mother can provide the RCH ID to easily obtain birth certificate for the new born.

Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme

• In addition to providing access to good healthcare during pregnancy, expectant mother registered under PICME having financial requirement can avail benefits under the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme. Under the scheme, financial assistance of upto Rs.12,000 is provided by the Tamil Nadu government for expectant mothers as under:
• The first instalment of Rs.4000 will be given to every pregnant woman, who avails all required health services during 7th month of pregnancy.
• The second instalment of Rs.4000 will be given to the mother after delivery who delivers in Government / Local Body Institutions.
• The third instalment of Rs.4000 will be given to the mother on completion of third dose of DPT, Hepatitis and Polio vaccine for the child.
• PICME registration is mandatory for obtaining the above benefits and financial assistanceunder the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme.