Q. Consider the following statements in relation to Janani Suraksha Yojana:

1. It is a safe motherhood intervention of the State Health Departments.
2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women.
3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.
4. Its objective includes providing public health facilities to sick infants up to one year of age.

How many of the statements given above are correct? (UPSC Prelims 2023)
Answer: Only two
Notes: The correct answer is [B] Only two. Statements 2 and 3 are correct, while Statements 1 and 4 are incorrect.

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme (Statement 1 – Incorrect): Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the National Health Mission (NHM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It is not an intervention solely of the State Health Departments, though they are responsible for its implementation.
• Maternal and Neonatal Mortality (Statement 2 – Correct): The primary objective of JSY is to reduce maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women belonging to under-privileged families.
• Institutional Delivery (Statement 3 – Correct): JSY provides a cash incentive to pregnant women who choose to give birth in a government or accredited private health facility. This shift from home-based to institutional delivery is the core strategy of the program.
• Sick Infant Care (Statement 4 – Incorrect): JSY specifically focuses on the delivery and the immediate post-partum period (mother and newborn). Providing public health facilities for sick infants up to one year of age is the objective of Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), which was launched later (2011) to supplement JSY.

JSY integrates cash assistance with antenatal care, institutional delivery, and post-delivery care through the help of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, who act as a link between the government and the pregnant woman.