Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Health and Nutrition Schemes · Topic 4.6
The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, launched on 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission. It is a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme that pays a cash incentive to pregnant women who deliver in a government or accredited private health facility, in order to raise institutional births and cut maternal and neonatal deaths. States are split into Low Performing States and High Performing States, with higher cash for the former. ASHA workers receive a payment for escorting the mother. Institutional deliveries rose from about 39 per cent in 2005-06 to above 88 per cent in NFHS-5.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Health and Nutrition Schemes
At a Glance
- Ministry Health and Family Welfare
- Launched 12 April 2005
- Type 100% centrally sponsored
- Aim Institutional delivery
- Key worker ASHA
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Health and Nutrition Schemes
Where Does It Fit?
This is the sixth topic of the macro on health and nutrition. It is a cash incentive scheme under the National Health Mission and pairs with the antenatal service programme in the previous topic. Previous topic: Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA). Next topic: Mission Indradhanush (Immunization).
How Does JSY Work?
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Janani Suraksha Yojana, the mother protection scheme, abbreviated JSY |
| Launch | 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission, as a modified form of the National Maternity Benefit Scheme of 1995 |
| Funding | 100 per cent centrally sponsored, so the Centre bears the cost of the cash incentive |
| Low Performing States | Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir, which get higher incentives |
| Cash to mother, LPS | Rs 1,400 in rural areas and Rs 1,000 in urban areas per institutional delivery |
| Cash to mother, HPS | Rs 700 in rural areas and Rs 600 in urban areas |
| Eligibility | All pregnant women in Low Performing States, and in High Performing States women who are from BPL households, Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, for up to two live births in some states, with a wider coverage in others |
What Role Do ASHA Workers and Related Schemes Play?
- ASHA incentive: the ASHA worker receives a payment for identifying the mother, helping her register and taking her to the facility, with higher amounts in Low Performing States
- Place of delivery: payment is for delivery in a government facility, or in an accredited private institution in many states
- Home births: a small cash assistance of Rs 500 is available for home delivery by BPL women in states where it is permitted
- Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram: launched in June 2011, it gives pregnant women free delivery, caesarean section, drugs, diagnostics, diet and transport, and extends the same to sick newborns, and it complements the cash benefit
- Link to antenatal care: women are expected to have antenatal check-ups, as in Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)
- Link to NHM: the scheme is a major demand side intervention under the mission, as in National Health Mission (NHM)
- Payment mode: payments are made through direct bank transfer into the account of the mother
- Transport: the 102 and 108 ambulance networks provide free referral transport to the facility
What Else Should You Remember?
- Rationale: the scheme was meant to remove the cost barrier of facility delivery and to shift births from homes, where trained care is rare, to facilities
- Earlier scheme: the National Maternity Benefit Scheme of 1995 paid a smaller amount to women below the poverty line and was linked to age and birth order
- Results: institutional deliveries rose steeply after 2005, and NFHS-5 for 2019 to 2021 shows about 88 per cent of births in an institution
- Beneficiary numbers: the Health Ministry has reported over 10 crore beneficiaries since the launch
- Maternal mortality: the maternal mortality ratio fell to 97 per lakh live births in 2018 to 2020, as per the Sample Registration System, and JSY is cited as one cause
- Evaluation: studies found that the scheme raised institutional births but had a smaller measured effect on maternal deaths, because quality of care in facilities matters
- Quality gap: crowded labour rooms, shortage of staff and poor referral have kept the benefit below expectation in some districts
- Payment delays: delayed payments and lack of bank accounts have been reported in some states
- Newer links: the LaQshya programme improves labour room quality, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana offers wage-loss support, as in Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
- Status: the scheme continues as a component of the National Health Mission, whose continuation was approved by the Cabinet for the period beyond 2026, as reported in January 2025, so current rates should be checked in Health Ministry guidelines
- Constitutional link: Article 42 asks the state to make provision for just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief, and Article 47 asks it to raise nutrition and public health
- Sustainable Development Goal: the scheme supports Goal 3, which sets a target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per lakh live births by 2030
Why Does It Matter for the Exam?
- Date: 12 April 2005 under NRHM
- Funding: 100 per cent centrally sponsored
- Classification: Low Performing and High Performing States
- Target: institutional delivery, with cash to mother and ASHA
- Traps: JSY pays for institutional delivery, while PMMVY pays for wage loss and PMSMA gives check-ups
As an analytical point, cash can bring women to facilities, but safe delivery depends on what happens inside the facility. Spending must shift from paying for attendance to funding staff, blood banks and emergency obstetric care.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Facts Date, funding, state classes
- Policy Conditional cash transfers
- Mains Quantity versus quality
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the national programme for child vaccination. Next topic: Mission Indradhanush (Immunization).
Key People and Terms
- JSY Cash for facility birth
- LPS Low Performing States
- HPS High Performing States
- JSSK Free delivery care
- ASHA Community escort
- MMR Maternal deaths per lakh births
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Launched: 12 April 2005.
- Funding: 100% Centre.
- Aim: institutional delivery.
- Higher cash: Low Performing States.
- Companion: JSSK, 2011.
Do Not Confuse With
- JSY and JSSK Cash incentive versus free entitlements
- JSY and PMMVY Cash for facility birth versus wage-loss support
- Low Performing States and Empowered Action Group states The groups overlap but are not identical
Memory Hook
Birth in a facility, cash in the bank, ASHA by her side.
Mains Angle
Questions ask whether conditional cash transfers improve outcomes. These points give a frame.
- Gains More facility births
- Gaps Quality and delays
- Way Invest in care quality
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Critically evaluate the Janani Suraksha Yojana as an instrument for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in India.”
How to Answer
- Intro State JSY as a conditional cash transfer from 2005.
- Gains Rise in institutional delivery.
- Limits Quality, delays, weaker effect on deaths.
- Way Staff, emergency care, tracking and referral.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Janani Suraksha Yojana?
The Janani Suraksha Yojana is a Health Ministry scheme launched on 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission. It gives pregnant women a cash incentive for delivering in a government or accredited health facility, with the aim of raising institutional births and lowering maternal and newborn deaths.
Who is eligible for JSY?
In Low Performing States all pregnant women are eligible for the cash incentive. In High Performing States eligibility is for women from BPL households and Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, though states have widened it. The woman must deliver in a government facility or an accredited private institution.
Which ministry runs JSY and how is it funded?
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare runs JSY under the National Health Mission. It is a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme, so the Centre pays the incentive to the mother and the ASHA worker, and money is usually transferred directly to the bank account.
What is the difference between JSY and JSSK?
JSY is a cash incentive for institutional delivery, launched in 2005. The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, launched in June 2011, gives free entitlements such as delivery, caesarean section, drugs, diagnostics, diet and transport for pregnant women and sick newborns. They complement each other.
What is the latest status of JSY?
JSY continues as a component of the National Health Mission. Institutional deliveries have risen to about 88 per cent in NFHS-5, and the Ministry reports over 10 crore beneficiaries. The Cabinet approved the continuation of the mission in January 2025, as reported, so current incentive rates should be checked in official guidelines.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 JSY was launched in 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission.
It began on 12 April 2005.
2 JSY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme funded 60:40 with states.
It is 100 per cent centrally sponsored.
3 Low Performing States receive higher JSY incentives.
Rural LPS mothers get Rs 1,400.
4 JSY aims to promote institutional delivery.
That is its core objective.
Related Topics
Browse the full Current Affairs & Government Schemes index