Janani Suraksha Yojana — Definition

Definition

Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is India's flagship maternal health scheme launched in 2005 to promote institutional deliveries and reduce maternal mortality. It provides cash assistance ranging from ₹700-1400 to pregnant women for facility-based deliveries, with ASHA workers facilitating the process.

The scheme has significantly contributed to increasing institutional delivery rates from 39% in 2005 to over 88% by 2020. JSY represents a paradigm shift from the earlier schemes by integrating cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care, making it a demand-side financing intervention.

The scheme operates under the National Health Mission framework and is implemented across all states and Union Territories with special focus on Low Performing States (LPS) including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Jharkhand.

The primary objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by encouraging pregnant women, especially from poor families, to deliver in health facilities rather than at home. The scheme provides differential cash assistance - higher amounts for rural areas and Low Performing States to address regional disparities in maternal health outcomes.

ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers play a crucial role as facilitators, helping pregnant women access services and receive their entitlements. They receive performance-based incentives for each institutional delivery they facilitate.

The scheme covers both government and accredited private health facilities, ensuring wider access to quality maternal care. JSY has been instrumental in India's progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.

1, which aims to reduce global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. The scheme's success is evident from the dramatic increase in institutional delivery rates - from 39% in 2005-06 (NFHS-3) to 79% in 2015-16 (NFHS-4) and further to 88.

6% in 2019-21 (NFHS-5). This improvement has contributed significantly to the reduction in India's Maternal Mortality Ratio from 254 per 100,000 live births in 2004-06 to 103 in 2017-19. The scheme operates on the principle of conditional cash transfers, where payments are made only after institutional delivery, ensuring accountability and proper utilization of funds.