Janani Suraksha Yojana

The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe-motherhood intervention launched in 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission, now subsumed under the National Health Mission. Its principal objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.

Core objective

JSY seeks to increase childbirth in health facilities where skilled personnel and emergency services can manage delivery-related complications. It particularly focuses on improving institutional delivery in low-performing states, which historically had lower levels of institutional births.

How the scheme works

JSY combines conditional cash assistance with support for accessing maternal healthcare. The incentive is linked to institutional delivery, while implementation arrangements vary according to the state's performance category.

• An Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) identifies pregnant women, facilitates antenatal care and accompanies them to a health facility.
• Eligible women receive cash assistance for delivery in government or accredited private health institutions.
• ASHA may receive performance-linked assistance for facilitating institutional delivery and related maternal care.

Public health significance

JSY is primarily a demand-side intervention: it encourages families to choose institutional childbirth and links pregnant women with the public health system. Its mortality-reduction objective also depends on adequate facility quality, timely referral, emergency obstetric care and effective postnatal follow-up.