• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Rural Health Mission (NHM).
• It is being implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional delivery among pregnant women.
• The scheme is under implementation in all states and Union Territories (UTs), with a special focus on Low Performing States (LPS).
• It  was  launched  in  April  2005  by  modifying  the  National  Maternity  Benefit  Scheme (NMBS).
• The NMBS came into effect in August 1995 as one of the components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).
• The scheme was transferred from the Ministry of Rural Development to the Department of Health & Family Welfare during the year 2001-02.

Various Measures under JSY:

• The scheme focuses on the poor pregnant woman with special dispensation for States having low institutional delivery rates namely the States of UP, Uttaranchal, Bihar, Jharkhand, MP, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Orissa and J&K.
• While these States have been named as Low Performing States (LPS), the remaining States have been named as High performing States (HPS).
• Exclusion  criteria  of  age of  mother as  19  years or above  and up to two children only for home and institutional deliveries under the JSY have been removed.
• Eligible mothers are entitled to JSY benefit regardless of any age and any number of children.
• BPL pregnant women, who prefer to deliver at home, are entitled to a cash assistance of Rs 500 per delivery regardless of age of women and the number of children.
• States are encouraged to accredit private health facilities for increasing the choice of delivery care institutions.