Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)

What is it?

Janani Suraksha Yojana is a safe motherhood scheme run under the National Health Mission. Its aim is to bring down deaths of mothers and newborn babies by encouraging poor pregnant women to deliver in a health facility instead of at home.

The scheme gives a cash amount to the mother after she delivers in a government health centre such as a Sub Centre, Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre, First Referral Unit, or the general ward of a district or state hospital. Delivery in an accredited private institution is also covered for certain categories of women.

India is divided into Low Performing States (LPS) and High Performing States (HPS) for this scheme. The Low Performing States are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Orissa and Jammu and Kashmir. The cash amount is higher in the Low Performing States, and in these states all pregnant women delivering in a government health centre are covered, not only BPL or SC/ST women.

A point that is commonly misunderstood: the ASHA worker's package is a separate amount paid to the ASHA for helping the mother with antenatal check-ups and for taking her to the facility. It is not money that the mother herself takes home. Only the mother's package goes to the woman.

The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) in the village is the main link between the government and the pregnant woman for this scheme.

Potential benefit

₹600 – ₹1,400 one time, per delivery

The mother's cash package in Low Performing States is Rs 1400 in rural areas and Rs 1000 in urban areas. In High Performing States it is Rs 700 in rural areas and Rs 600 in urban areas. A separate ASHA package (Rs 600 rural, Rs 400 urban) is paid to the ASHA worker, not to the mother. Including the ASHA package the total per case is Rs 2000 rural / Rs 1400 urban in LPS and Rs 1300 rural / Rs 1000 urban in HPS.

Who can apply?

Other conditions stated by the government

• In Low Performing States (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir): the published condition covers all pregnant women delivering in government health centres such as Sub Centres, PHCs, CHCs, First Referral Units or general wards of district or state hospitals.
• In High Performing States (all remaining states): the published condition covers BPL, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women delivering in a government health centre.
• In both LPS and HPS: BPL, SC and ST women delivering in accredited private institutions are covered.
• The official NHM page does not state an age limit or a limit on the number of births for the cash assistance; those conditions are set out in the separate JSY guidelines document.

Eligibility information is provided for informational purposes only. Final eligibility and approval are determined by the relevant government authority.

How to apply

The ASHA worker in the village registers the pregnant woman and accompanies her for antenatal care and for the delivery. The cash assistance is released at the health facility in connection with the institutional delivery. Contact the local ASHA, Anganwadi worker or the nearest government health centre for registration.

Where to apply: offline

Deadline

No fixed deadline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.