Consider the following statements in relation to Janani Suraksha Yojana : 1. It is a safe motherhood intervention of the State Health Departments. 2. Its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women. 3. It aims to promote institutional delivery among poor pregnant women. 4. Its objective includes providing public health facilities to sick infants up to one year of age. How many of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Why the answer is (b)
• Janani Suraksha Yojana (2005) is a safe-motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission, a Central scheme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, implemented through States — so statement 1, calling it a State Health Department scheme, is wrong.
• Statement 2 is correct: its objective is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality among poor pregnant women.
• Statement 3 is correct: it promotes institutional delivery through conditional cash assistance to the mother and incentives to ASHAs.
• Statement 4 is wrong: free care for sick infants up to one year is provided under the separate Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (2011), not JSY.
• Hence two statements, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one
- Statements 2 and 3 are both correct, so the count is two.
- (c) Only three
- Statements 1 and 4 are wrong (Central scheme; infant care is under JSSK).
- (d) All four
- Statements 1 and 4 are wrong.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.