Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana

What is the Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana?

Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana is a maternal and child health scheme of the Government of Uttarakhand, run by the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare through the National Health Mission. The name "Eja-Boi" means "mother" in the Kumaoni and Garhwali languages, and the scheme is a "shagun", a blessing or gift: given to a new mother who chooses to deliver her baby in a government health facility.

Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana pays a cash incentive of Rs 2,000 to a mother who delivers in a government hospital and stays admitted there for 48 hours with her newborn. The 48-hour stay is central to the scheme: the first two days after birth are the highest-risk period for both mother and baby, and keeping the pair under medical observation lets staff spot bleeding, infection, breathing problems or feeding difficulties early.

The Rs 2,000 is paid over and above the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) benefit. Under JSY, a rural woman in Uttarakhand receives Rs 1,400 and an urban woman Rs 1,000 for an institutional delivery. Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana adds Rs 2,000 to that, so the total cash support for a government-hospital delivery is meaningfully higher than JSY alone.

Why Uttarakhand created this scheme

• To raise the share of deliveries that happen in hospitals rather than at home, which is the single biggest factor in reducing maternal and infant deaths.
• To keep mother and baby under observation for the critical first 48 hours.
• To improve the state's infant mortality position; official statements note Uttarakhand's ranking in the infant mortality rate improved from 32nd to 26th in the country as institutional-delivery efforts expanded.

Who is eligible for Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana?

You can receive the benefit if:

• You are a pregnant woman residing in Uttarakhand.
• You deliver your baby in a government health facility. A sub-district hospital, community health centre, primary health centre, district hospital or medical college.
• You and your newborn stay admitted for 48 hours after the delivery.
• You have a bank account in your own name to receive the transfer.

You cannot claim the benefit if:

• You deliver at home or in a private hospital, because the incentive is tied to a government-facility delivery.
• You leave the hospital before the 48-hour post-delivery period is completed, since the stay is the qualifying condition.
• The delivery cannot be verified in the facility's records.

There is no income ceiling attached to the scheme in the material available, and it is aimed at encouraging every pregnant woman — especially in rural and hill areas, to choose a government facility. Women who are not eligible for this particular top-up may still receive the JSY benefit for an institutional delivery.

How much does Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana pay, and when?

Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana pays a single incentive of Rs 2,000 per qualifying delivery. The payment is made after the hospital confirms two things: that the delivery took place in the government facility, and that the mother and newborn completed the 48-hour stay.

Combined with Janani Suraksha Yojana, a rural mother can receive Rs 1,400 (JSY) + Rs 2,000 (Shagun) = Rs 3,400, and an urban mother Rs 1,000 (JSY) + Rs 2,000 (Shagun) = Rs 3,000, for the same institutional delivery. The Shagun amount is paid by bank transfer to the mother's account rather than in cash.

The Rs 2,000 is designed as a single, one-time incentive per delivery rather than a monthly payment. Because it is tied to the completed 48-hour stay, the money is meant to reach the mother soon after discharge, once the hospital has entered the delivery and stay details into its records. Families in remote hill blocks, where reaching a facility can be hard, are the group the incentive is most trying to encourage, since a home delivery in those areas carries the highest risk if a complication arises.

What documents are required for Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana?

How to apply for Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana

Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana does not use a separate online portal. The claim is handled through the government hospital and the ASHA worker attached to your area. Follow these steps:

1. Register your pregnancy early at your nearest sub-centre, primary health centre or hospital, and get your MCP card. Your ASHA worker will help you complete antenatal check-ups.
2. Plan a government-facility delivery. Tell your ASHA worker and the hospital staff that you want to deliver in the government hospital so the Eja-Boi Shagun and JSY benefits can both be recorded.
3. Deliver in the government facility and complete the 48-hour stay with your newborn. Do not leave before 48 hours, because the stay is the qualifying condition.
4. Submit your Aadhaar and bank passbook to the hospital or ASHA worker at discharge so the incentive can be processed.
5. Collect your discharge slip and keep it safe; it is proof of the institutional delivery if any follow-up is needed.

The ASHA worker is your main point of contact throughout, from antenatal registration to receiving the payment.

How do you check the status of your Eja-Boi Shagun payment?

Because the scheme is processed offline through the facility, the fastest way to check on your Rs 2,000 is to ask the ASHA worker who handled your case, or the maternity ward or accounts section of the hospital where you delivered. Keep your discharge slip and bank passbook handy so staff can match your record. If the JSY amount has arrived but the Shagun top-up has not, raise it with the hospital's nodal officer for maternal health, since the two are processed by the same team.

Why an Eja-Boi Shagun claim can be delayed or rejected

• The 48-hour stay was not completed, leaving early is the most common reason a claim fails.
• The delivery was at home or in a private hospital, which the scheme does not cover.
• Bank account problems, an inactive account, a wrong account number, or a name mismatch between Aadhaar and the bank record.
• Incomplete hospital paperwork, where the delivery or stay was not correctly entered in the facility register.

Most delays are fixed by giving the hospital a correct, active bank account and confirming that the delivery record is complete.

Key facts and grievance route

Eja-Boi Shagun Yojana is delivered entirely through the public health system, so any grievance should first go to the hospital where you delivered and the ASHA worker who assisted you. Beyond that, the district's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) office and the National Health Mission Uttarakhand office (nhm.uk.gov.in) handle maternal-health scheme complaints. According to an April 2026 report, 10,533 women in Udham Singh Nagar district had benefited from the scheme over two years, indicating steady, active implementation across the state.

The scheme sits alongside other Uttarakhand maternal and child schemes such as the Mukhyamantri Mahalakshmi Kit and Nanda Gaura Yojana, which together aim to make institutional delivery and early childcare more affordable for families in the state's hill and plain districts.