Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram vs Janani Suraksha Yojana: Which One Applies to You?

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram vs Janani Suraksha Yojana: the short answer

Both run under the National Health Mission, but they do opposite things. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram gives you free services at a public hospital; Janani Suraksha Yojana gives you cash in your bank account. You do not choose between them. A woman delivering in a public facility can claim both at once. The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram pillar covers its full free-service list.

The confusion is common because both are maternity schemes with similar-sounding names. This article separates them so you know exactly what to claim.

The decision table

Feature	Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK)	Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)
What you get	Free services (no cash)	Cash assistance to the mother
Amount	Zero-expense care, no rupee figure	Rs 600 to Rs 1,400 to the mother
Launched	1 June 2011	12 April 2005
Who qualifies	Every woman delivering at a public facility	Poor women, graded by state category
Income/caste test	None, universal at public facilities	BPL/SC/ST condition in High Performing States
Application	No form; automatic at the facility	Register with ASHA/ANM; claimed at delivery
Covers newborn	Yes; sick infants up to 1 year	No — mother only
Private hospital	Not covered	Only JSY-accredited private facilities

What each scheme actually gives you

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram removes cost at the point of care. It covers free delivery including caesarean section, free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics including blood tests and ultrasonography, free blood, free diet (up to 3 days for normal delivery, 7 for caesarean), and free transport in all three directions. It also covers treatment of sick newborns and infants up to one year of age. There is no income test, no caste condition and no age condition.

Janani Suraksha Yojana pays cash. A rural mother gets Rs 1,400 and an urban mother Rs 1,000 in Low Performing States; a rural mother gets Rs 700 and an urban mother Rs 600 in High Performing States. The ASHA who accompanies the woman receives a separate incentive. In High Performing States the mother's entitlement is restricted to BPL, SC and ST women.

Who each suits

• Every pregnant woman using a public hospital should claim JSSK. It is universal and needs no paperwork.
• Poor women, and all women in the ten Low Performing States delivering in a government facility, should also claim JSY for the cash.
• General-category non-BPL women in a High Performing State are not eligible for JSY cash for a government delivery, but they still get free care under JSSK.

Can you hold both?

Yes, and you should. This is the single most important point. The two schemes are designed to work together. A woman delivering in a public health institution benefits from free care under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram and, if she qualifies, the cash benefit under Janani Suraksha Yojana paid to her bank account. Claiming one does not disqualify you from the other.

The practical difference at the facility: JSSK needs nothing from you except showing up (carry the MCP card if you have it). JSY needs you to have registered your pregnancy with the ASHA or ANM, to hold a JSY card and MCP card, and to have a bank account in your own name seeded with Aadhaar for the Direct Benefit Transfer.

Which to sort out first?

Sort out JSY registration first, during pregnancy, because it depends on early registration with your ASHA, a JSY card and a bank account. JSSK needs no advance action. It kicks in automatically the moment you present at a public facility. So the sequence is: register early with the ASHA to lock in JSY, then simply claim your free JSSK services at delivery. If a facility charges you despite JSSK, refuse and escalate to the 104 health helpline.