A study on the effect of Janani Suraksha Yojana on antenatal registration and institutional deliveries in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.

Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) was launched in April 2005, to promote institutional deliveries through provision of cash assistance, transport, escort, and referral services. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the antenatal registrations, postnatal checkups, and institutional deliveries, and to compare the various social groups. Married women of the reproductive age group, having at least two children, were interviewed regarding antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care in both pregnancies, latest as well as previous. Post JSY implementation, antenatal registrations increased from 61.79 to 96.34%, Deliveries at the Government Health Facility increased from 25.20 to 53.25% and postnatal check-ups increased from 45.93 to 69.51%. In the post-JSY-implementation phase, the Government Health Facility was preferred more by Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) (SC/ST = 56.87%, OBC = 60.2%, and general = 43.68%), educated (Illiterate = 17.39%, Primary = 88.14, and Middle or above = 81.94%) and the lower socioeconomic classes (Lower SEC 71.83% and Upper lower and above = 45.71%) for their deliveries. It appears that the socially backward groups have benefited more from JSY.