Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram

An Indian national health entitlement scheme launched by the central government on June 1, 2011, guaranteeing pregnant women completely free and cashless delivery care, including cesarean sections, at public health institutions, covering costs such as drugs, diagnostics, blood, diet during the hospital stay, and transport to and from the facility. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, meaning Mother and Child Protection Program, was extended in 2014 to cover treatment for all complications during pregnancy and for sick newborns and infants up to one year old accessing public health facilities, with the scheme estimated to benefit more than 12 million pregnant women who deliver in government facilities each year. It sits within India's National Health Mission alongside other maternal health entitlement schemes aimed at removing the financial barriers that had kept many Indian women from delivering in institutional settings.