Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): Rs 1,400 Cash for a Safe Hospital Delivery, and How to Claim It (2026)

If you or someone in your family is pregnant, do this now. Ask your local ASHA worker to register the pregnancy at the nearest sub-centre or primary health centre in the first three months, get the mother and child protection card, and plan for the birth in a government or accredited hospital. That single decision is what turns Janani Suraksha Yojana from a name into money in your bank account and a safer delivery. The cash comes after the baby is born in a health facility, so the registration and the hospital delivery are the two steps that matter most.

Janani Suraksha Yojana is a centrally sponsored safe-motherhood scheme launched on 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission (NRM). It was created to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by encouraging pregnant women — especially in rural and underserved areas — to deliver in health facilities rather than at home. The scheme provides a cash incentive to the mother for choosing an institutional delivery, and a separate incentive to the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker who facilitates antenatal care, escorts the woman to the facility, and ensures postnatal follow-up.

Before JSY, the majority of births in India's lowest-performing states happened at home without a skilled birth attendant. The risk of maternal death was disproportionately high. The government's response was a demand-side cash transfer: pay the mother to come to a facility, and pay the ASHA to bring her. The scheme has continued under the National Health Mission and remains one of the largest conditional cash transfer programmes for maternal health in the world. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare oversees it nationally, while state health societies implement it on the ground. See the broader Government Schemes India 2026 index for how JSY fits alongside other welfare programmes.

The rule is wider in the focus states and narrower in the rest. JSY divides India into two categories — Low Performing States (LPS) and High Performing States (HPS) — and the eligibility criteria differ between them.

• In the ten Low Performing States, all pregnant women who deliver in a government or accredited health facility are eligible for the mother's cash package, regardless of income or age or how many children they already have. This wide reach is deliberate, to pull as many births as possible into safe hands.
• In the High Performing States, the cash package is meant for women from Below Poverty Line families and for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women who deliver in a government or accredited facility. A general-category woman above the poverty line in these states may not draw the JSY cash, though the free delivery care under JSSK still applies to her.
• Accredited private hospitals are covered too, but usually for the same Below Poverty Line and Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe groups, and only where the state has empanelled that hospital for JSY.
• Home deliveries have a small provision of their own. A Below Poverty Line woman aged 19 or above can receive a modest cash amount for up to two live births even for a home birth, but the whole design of the scheme is to move births into facilities, so this is the exception and not the route to plan for.

If you are applying for or holding a BPL ration card to establish eligibility in an HPS, the BPL ration card application guide and the ration card under NFSA article explain the process.

Age and birth-order limits used to be stricter and still vary by state, so if you are outside the focus states, confirm your state's current condition rather than assume the older rule.

The amount depends on where you live, because the scheme puts extra weight on states where hospital births were historically low. These are called the Low Performing States, and the group covers Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir. Every other state and Union Territory is treated as a High Performing State for this scheme.

The ASHA package is split into two parts, one for helping with the antenatal checkups and one for supporting the institutional delivery, so she is paid for the full journey and not one visit. A separate transport support of at least Rs 250 can be paid where a woman has to travel to reach the delivery centre. These are the figures published on the National Health Mission portal and corroborated by PIB press releases and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines. Because states run the scheme on the ground, a state may add its own top-up, so check the latest official rule for your state before you count on a number.

The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) is the backbone of JSY at the village level. She is a community health volunteer — typically a local woman trained to support pregnant women through their pregnancy, delivery, and the postnatal period. Her incentive under JSY is paid in two instalments:

• First instalment — for antenatal services: registering the pregnancy early, ensuring at least four antenatal checkups, facilitating tetanus immunisation, and providing iron-folic acid tablets.
• Second instalment — for the institutional delivery: escorting the pregnant woman to the health facility, ensuring she delivers there, and completing postnatal visits for the mother and newborn.

In the Low Performing States the total ASHA package is Rs 600 (Rs 300 per instalment). In High Performing States it is Rs 400 for rural areas and Rs 200 for urban areas. This incentive is separate from the mother's cash — it does not reduce what the mother receives. The ASHA also receives a transport allowance where applicable. This package design ensures the ASHA stays engaged across the full pregnancy journey, not just at the time of birth. For a broader look at health support schemes, see the health insurance schemes in India guide.

1. Register the pregnancy early. Ask the ASHA or the auxiliary nurse midwife to register you at the sub-centre or primary health centre in the first trimester. This starts your record and your checkup schedule.
2. Get the mother and child protection card. This card, issued at registration, is the document that ties your antenatal visits and the delivery together. Keep it safe and carry it to every visit.
3. Open a bank account in the mother's name. The cash is paid by direct benefit transfer, so an account in the mother's own name, linked to Aadhaar, avoids most payment failures. See the Jan Dhan account guide or PM Jan Dhan Yojana if you need a zero-balance account.
4. Deliver in a government or accredited facility. The cash is tied to an institutional birth. Confirm in advance that the hospital you plan to use is a government facility or is accredited for JSY.
5. Submit the card and the discharge record. At discharge, the mother and child protection card and the proof of delivery are used to process the claim. The ASHA usually helps with this paperwork.
6. Receive the cash in the account. In most states the payment is meant to reach the mother's account soon after the delivery. If it does not, the common problems section below is for you.

If your Aadhaar has linking or authentication problems, the Aadhaar update status guide and new Aadhaar enrolment articles cover common fixes.

Do not confuse the cash with the free treatment. The cash package described above is Janani Suraksha Yojana. Running alongside it is the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), launched in 2011, which entitles every pregnant woman delivering in a public health institution to free care with no out-of-pocket spending.

That free care covers:

• Free delivery, including caesarean section
• Free drugs and consumables
• Free diagnostics (blood tests, urine tests, ultrasound)
• Free diet during the hospital stay
• Free blood where needed
• Free transport between home and facility, and facility-to-facility transfer if required
• Free treatment for sick newborns up to 30 days

The free care under this second programme applies to all women in public facilities, not only those who qualify for the JSY cash. So even a woman who does not draw the cash in a High Performing State should still receive a free delivery in a government hospital. If you have been denied cashless treatment at a hospital, the Ayushman cashless denied complaint guide applies to similar government facility disputes.

Many families confuse Janani Suraksha Yojana with Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). They are separate schemes and a woman can potentially benefit from both:

See the full Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana maternity cash guide for PMMVY eligibility, instalment schedule, and claim process. The adoptive mother maternity benefit article covers a related court ruling on maternity rights.

• The cash has not arrived. First confirm the bank account is active, Aadhaar is linked, and the name on the account matches the records. A frozen or de-linked account is the most common reason a direct transfer fails.
• You were asked to pay at the hospital. Under JSSK the delivery and its drugs, tests, diet, and transport are meant to be free in a public facility. A demand for payment is a grievance you can raise with the block medical officer and, if needed, escalate.
• The pregnancy was registered late. Late registration can complicate the claim even though the delivery itself remains free. Register in the first trimester wherever possible.
• The hospital was not accredited. In the High Performing States and for private hospitals, the cash is tied to an accredited facility. Verify accreditation with the district health office before you decide where to deliver.
• You live in a High Performing State and were refused the cash. The narrower eligibility there may be the reason. Ask the office to put the exact ground for refusal in writing, which is where the Right to Information route becomes useful.
• Your Aadhaar-bank linkage failed. DBT payments require a working Aadhaar-bank seed. Check with your bank branch or use the ABHA health ID system for integrated health records.

For hospital records disputes, see the RTI guide for government hospital records.

When a call or a visit does not move your file, a short written Right to Information request often does, because the public authority then has to answer in writing within the statutory time. Ask narrow questions about the status of your claim, the officer handling it, and the exact reason for any delay or refusal. You can draft one in minutes with the AI RTI Drafter, and the full filing and appeal process is in The RTI Playbook.

RTI fees vary by state — the RTI fees by state guide lists the application fee for every state and union territory. For urgent health-related RTI, the Central Information Commission has held that life-and-liberty matters (including health and medical treatment) must be answered within 48 hours under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act.

A sample RTI application for a delayed JSY payment could ask:

To: The Public Information Officer
    Office of the Chief Medical Officer / District Health Society
    [District, State]

Subject: Request for information under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005
         regarding Janani Suraksha Yojana cash benefit — [Mother's name]

1. Please provide the current status of the JSY cash claim filed by
   [name], wife of [name], resident of [address], registered on [date]
   at [sub-centre / PHC name].

2. Please state the name and designation of the officer processing or
   handling the above claim.

3. Please state the exact reason for any delay in disbursing the JSY
   cash payment to the above beneficiary.

4. Please provide the date by which the payment is expected to be
   credited to the beneficiary's bank account.

5. Please provide a certified copy of the JSY eligibility and disbursal
   register entry pertaining to the above beneficiary.

Janani Suraksha Yojana was launched on 12 April 2005 as a safe-motherhood intervention under the National Rural Health Mission (NRM), which itself was launched the same year. It evolved from the earlier National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS), which provided a one-time cash benefit but was not linked to institutional delivery. JSY shifted the design from a blanket maternity payment to a conditional incentive tied to delivering in a health facility.

The scheme has continued to run since then under the Union government as part of the National Health Mission (NHM), which subsumed the NRM in 2013. The National Health Mission operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and its programmatic priorities are shaped by guidance from NITI Aayog and the National Rural Health Mission framework. It sits within a wider set of maternal and family welfare schemes that you can browse on the All Modi-era Sarkari Yojana index 2014 to 2026 or the comprehensive Government Schemes India 2026 page.

• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana maternity cash — Rs 5,000 for first living child
• Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY — free hospital cover up to Rs 5 lakh per family
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABHA health ID)
• How to apply for an ABHA health ID
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana — savings for a girl child
• PM Jan Dhan Yojana — zero-balance bank account for DBT
• Ration card under NFSA — food security eligibility
• PM Ujjwala Yojana — free cooking gas connection
• All Modi-era Sarkari Yojanas 2014 to 2026
• Government Schemes India 2026 — full index
• Health insurance schemes in India
• Financial support schemes in India
• Atal Pension Yojana
• PMSBY & PMJJBY life insurance
• PM Kisan Samman Nidhi

After the baby is born, you will need to register the birth and apply for documents. These guides cover the process:

• Birth certificate online application — state-wise guide
• Birth certificate status check 2026

Yes. Under the linked Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), delivery in a public health institution is free, including a caesarean section, along with free drugs, diagnostics, diet during the stay, blood, and transport. This free care applies to all women in public facilities — you do not need a BPL card or any certificate to claim it.

The larger amount goes to rural mothers and to the ten Low Performing States because hospital births were historically lowest there. The extra cash is meant to reduce the cost barrier of travel, stay, and lost wages, and pull more births into safe facilities.

The JSY cash in these states is aimed at Below Poverty Line families and at Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women. You may not draw the cash package, but you can still have a free delivery in a government hospital under JSSK.

Only a private hospital that the state has accredited for JSY, and usually under the same Below Poverty Line or caste conditions. Check the accredited list at the district health office before you decide.

The ASHA package is paid to the ASHA worker who helped you, and it is separate from the mother's cash. It does not reduce what the mother receives.

Check that the account is active and Aadhaar-linked and that the name matches. If it is in order and the payment is still stuck, ask the block medical officer in writing, and if that fails, file an RTI for the status and the reason.

Yes. JSY and PMMVY are independent schemes run by different ministries (NHM/MoHFW for JSY, Ministry of Women and Child Development for PMMVY). A woman who meets both sets of eligibility criteria can receive both benefits. See the PMMVY guide for details.

In the Low Performing States, there is no birth-order restriction — all institutional deliveries qualify. In the High Performing States, BPL/SC/ST women are generally eligible for up to two live births. Check your state's current notification for the exact rule.

The guidelines require payment within 7 days of the institutional delivery, but in practice delays of several weeks are common, especially if the Aadhaar-bank linkage is not in order or the health centre submits claims in batches. If more than 30 days have passed, follow up with the ASHA or block medical officer.

Aadhaar is not mandatory as a standalone identity proof, but direct benefit transfer (DBT) payments require an Aadhaar-linked bank account. If you do not have Aadhaar, alternative identity documents are accepted for registration, but the DBT payment will require the linkage. See new Aadhaar enrolment or Aadhaar update status check if needed.

The ASHA registers the pregnancy, accompanies the pregnant woman to antenatal checkups, facilitates the institutional delivery, and conducts postnatal visits for mother and newborn. She is paid a package incentive (Rs 600 in LPS, Rs 400 in HPS rural) for this work, in two instalments — one for antenatal services and one for the delivery.

Yes. If your state has an RTI online portal, you can file electronically. Otherwise, submit a written application to the PIO at the office of the Chief Medical Officer or District Health Society. RTI fees vary by state — see the RTI fees by state guide. For life-and-liberty (health-related) matters, the CIC has directed a 48-hour response.

A demand for payment in a government facility is a grievance. Raise it with the block medical officer in writing first. If unresolved, file a complaint with the district health society or the Chief Medical Officer. The hospital complaint guide and government helplines directory have escalation contacts.

• National Health Mission (nhm.gov.in) — Janani Suraksha Yojana entitlements and guidelines
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (mohfw.gov.in) — JSY features and frequently asked questions
• PIB Press Release PRID 1753737 — Government of India press release on maternal health schemes
• PIB Press Release PRID 1744450 — National Health Mission performance update
• PIB — Janani Suraksha Yojana tag page — all related PIB releases
• NITI Aayog (niti.gov.in) — health policy and programme evaluation
• Launched: 12 April 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission

Last reviewed: 10 July 2026.