Janani Suraksha Yojana

Introduction

• Janani Suraksha Yojana is a cash assistance scheme of National Health Mission under the Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare.
• It was launched on 12th Of April 2005.
• It is a scheme for a pregnant women to assist them financially to cover the the delivery expenses occurred at the time of delivery and for the post delivery care of mother and her child.
• It is a 100% Centrally sponsored scheme.
• This scheme is specially focuses on poor pregnant women for safe motherhood and to provide them a good quality Pre as well as Post delivery care services.
• It aims to promote institutional deliveries to reduce maternal/child mortality.
• It specially focuses on Low Performing States (LPS).

Eligibility For Cash Assistance

Benefits

• Cash Assistance to pregnant women in rural areas of Rs. 1400/- in Low Performing State and Rs. 700/- in High Performing State.
• Cash Assistance to pregnant women in urban areas of Rs. 1000/- in Low Performing State and Rs. 600/- in High Performing State.
• Rs. 500/- cash assistance to pregnant women belongs to Below Poverty Line (BPL) who chooses to deliver her child at home.
• Cash Assistance To ASHA Workers, Of Rs. 600/- in rural area and Rs. 400/- in urban area.
• There is no bar on age and number of child birth by a women in Low Performing State.
• Women can avail the benefit for 2 child births in High Performing State.
• Minimum 3 free Antenatal Checkups before delivery.
• Each beneficiary get Janani Suraksha Card with a Mother Child Health Card.
• Beneficiary get her entitled money at the health centre on arrival and registration for delivery.

Cash Assistance For Delivery Of Child At Home

• Cash assistance of Rs. 500/- for the pregnant women who choose to deliver their child at home.
• Women should be belongs to Below Poverty Line (BPL).
• Age should be 19 years and above.
• Cash assistance only for 2 births at home.
• Disbursement should be done at the time of delivery or 7 days before the delivery.
• The objective is that the beneficiary would be able to use the cash assistance for her care during delivery and able to bear the cost/ expenses of the delivery.
• Disbursement should be done by ANM/ASHA/ any other link worker.
• Below Poverty Line (BPL) certificate is mandatorily required to avail the benefit.

Role Of ASHA Workers

• Locate the pregnant women in her area and registered her for Antenatal Care (ANC).
• Help the pregnant women to acquiring mandatory certificates.
• Arrange at least three Antenatal checkups for pregnant women includes the TT (Tetanus Toxoid) injection and IFA (Iron Folic Acid) Tablets.
• Pre locate the functional Government Health Centre or an accredited private health institution for referral and delivery of pregnant women.
• Counsel the pregnant women and get her ready for giving birth of her child for an institutional delivery.
• To be with the pregnant women at the time of the delivery at health centre, till the women is discharged.
• Arrange all the immunization for the newborn child till he/she attain the age of 14 weeks.
• Inform the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM)/ Medica Officer (MO) about the birth or death of a child or mother.
• Visit the mother to track her health after 7 days of delivery.
• Counsel the mother to initiate breast feeding to the newborn within one hour of delivery and to continue till he/she attain the age of 3 - 6 month
• Spread awareness about the family planning.

Package For ASHA Worker

• Total assistance of Rs. 600/- in Low Performing States.
  • Rs. 300/- for Antenatal Care Component
  • Rs. 300/- for facilitating institutional delivery.
• Total assistance of Rs. 400/- in High Performing State.
  • Rs. 200/- for Antenatal Care Component
  • Rs. 200/- for facilitating institutional delivery.
• Cash assistance of not less than Rs. 250 for ref err el transport, to go to the nearest centre for delivery.
• Cash incentive of minimum Rs. 200/- per delivery for her work relating to facilitating the institutional delivery.
• Amount of Incentive ASHA get only after her post delivery visit to the beneficiary and the child has been immunized for BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin).
• To meet the cost of boarding and lodging, ASHA is to be paid a transactional cost for her stay with the pregnant women.
• ASHA get her First payment for the transactional cost at the health centre on reaching the institution with the pregnant women.
• The second payment should be paid after she has made postnatal visit and the child has been immunized for BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin).
• All payment to ASHA would be done by the ANM only.
• It is mandatory that ASHA gets her second payment within the 7 days of the delivery.
• No cash package for ASHA worker if pregnant women chose to deliver her child in accredited private health care institutions.

Special Provisions For Low Performing States

• No Age restriction.
• No restriction up to 2 births.
• Irrespective of birth order, the benefits of the scheme are extended to all pregnant women in Low Performing State.
• No marriage or BPL (Below Poverty Line) certification required for delivering the child in government or accredited health institution.
• Compensation money will be provided under the government family welfare scheme to mother or her husband, if on their own will, they undergoes sterilization, immediately after the delivery of the child.
• Two private institutions per block on their own will should provided delivery services.
• Beneficiaries deliver their child in these accredited private health care institutions would get the cash benefits admissible under the Janani Suraksha Yojana.
• It is very difficult to access PHC/CHCs for maternal care or delivery for women living in tribal and hilly districts.
• Instead of home a well equipped sub center is a better option for normal delivery.
• State/District authority accredited sub centres will be considered as institutional delivery centres.
• Women delivering their child in these centres would be eligible for all cash assistance under Janani Suraksha Yojana.

Key Features Of The Scheme

• Janani Suraksha Yojana specially focuses on the poor pregnant women for States having low institutional delivery rates.
• Each beneficiary registered under this yojana get a Janani Suraksha Yojana Card and Mother Child Protection Card.
• All the pregnant women in Low Performing States are eligible to get the benefit of cash assistance under the Janani Suraksha yojana.
• Whereas in High Performing States only pregnant women belonging to Below Poverty Line, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe, aged 19 and above are eligible.
• In High Performing States Below Poverty Line Certificate (BPL) certificate is mandatorily required to avail the benefit.
• If there is no BPL card or have not issued or have not been updated, in that particular cases, Gram Pradhan or Ward Member of that area certify the poor and needy status of pregnant women.
• If a women chooses to deliver her child in accredited private health institutions, it is mandatory to produce a proper BPL or SC/ST certificate to avail the benefit.
• Beneficiary should also carry a referral slip from the ASHA/ANM/MO and the Mother Child Health/ Janani Suraksha Yojana Card.
• Government is not responsible the cost of delivery in accredited private institutions. Beneficiary has to bear the cost and she only get her entitled cash mentioned in the Janani Suraksha Yojana.
• Cash payment is only paid to mother by ANM/ASHA/ Link worker channel at accredited institution.
• No amount of assistance is given to other person or the relative of the pregnant women.
• If there is any complications occur at the time of delivery at accredited institutions, they are fully responsible for any postnatal complication arising out of the cases handled by them. They should not deny their service.
• In case ASHA did not able to organize a transport for the pregnant women to go to the health institution, the amount of transport assistance money in the ASHA's package goes to the pregnant women at the institution, immediately on arrival and registration for delivery.

Miscellaneous Features

• State/District Authorities would give advance of Rs. 5000/- and Rs. 10,000/- to each ANM in High Performing State and Low Performing State respectively from the Janani Suraksha Yojana Fund.
• The amount of money should be kept in joint account of ANM and Gram Pradhan.
• ANM have full authority to withdraw cash as and when required.
• In case of any complication or a Caesarean Section is needed for delivery, then the assistance up to Rs. 1500/- per delivery is available for hiring specialist from the private sector.
• Janani Suraksha Yojana is not a cash distributing scheme, it is a scheme to provide quality maternity services to the pregnant women.
• If ASHA worker neither organize any Antenatal Care for pregnant women nor she assist her to the health care centre, in that case ASHA worker will not receive any compensation package.

Important Links

• National Health Mission
• Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare.
• Ministry Of Health & Family Welfare Main Website
• Janani Suraksha Yoajan Guidelines.