Safe-motherhood scheme giving cash help so mothers deliver their baby safely in a hospital.
Janani Suraksha Yojana helps pregnant women, especially from poorer families, have their babies safely in a government or accredited health facility instead of at home. It gives the mother cash assistance for choosing an institutional delivery, and an ASHA health worker supports her through pregnancy and childbirth. The aim is to reduce the number of mothers and newborns who die around the time of birth.
👪 Who it's for
Pregnant women (special focus on poor/BPL/SC/ST women); in low-performing states, all women delivering in a government facility.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Cash assistance to the mother for delivering in a health facility
- ✓Support from an ASHA worker through pregnancy and delivery
- ✓Encourages safe, supervised institutional delivery
- ✓Aims to lower maternal and newborn deaths
Free delivery for mothers and completely free treatment for sick newborns and babies up to one year.
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram removes the cost of care so families pay nothing out of pocket at government health facilities. Pregnant women get free delivery (including caesarean), free medicines, tests, blood, diet and free ambulance transport. The same protection covers sick newborns and sick infants up to one year of age, so parents can get their baby treated without worrying about charges.
👪 Who it's for
Pregnant women delivering in public facilities, and all sick newborns and sick infants up to one year of age treated in public health institutions.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free treatment for sick newborns and infants up to one year
- ✓Free drugs, diagnostics, consumables and blood for sick babies
- ✓Free ambulance transport: home to facility, between facilities, and drop back home
- ✓No user charges at all (zero out-of-pocket cost)
- ✓Free delivery for mothers, including caesarean section
Training programme equipping doctors and health workers in basic newborn care and resuscitation at birth.
NSSK is a government training programme that prepares the doctors, nurses and health workers who attend deliveries to care for babies in the first crucial minutes after birth. It builds their skills in basic newborn care and in resuscitating a baby who does not breathe well at birth. The aim is to give every newborn a safer start and reduce newborn deaths.
👪 Who it's for
Health workers and doctors involved in delivery and newborn care (so that all newborns benefit at birth).
⭐ What you get
- ✓Trains birth attendants in basic newborn care and resuscitation
- ✓Standard, uniform training using an official resource manual
- ✓Hands-on training to build practical clinical skills
- ✓Aimed at improving newborn survival and reducing newborn deaths
A tiered system of newborn care units at hospitals, from the delivery room up to special care units.
Facility Based Newborn Care is care for newborns at health facilities, organised as three connected levels so a baby gets the right care close to where it is needed. The Newborn Care Corner handles care and resuscitation right in the delivery room, the Newborn Stabilization Unit looks after moderately sick or small babies, and the Special Newborn Care Unit gives round-the-clock care for seriously ill and low-birth-weight newborns. Babies who need more can be referred up the chain.
👪 Who it's for
Newborns needing care at a health facility — from routine care at birth to sick and low-birth-weight babies.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Newborn Care Corner (NBCC): immediate care and resuscitation in every delivery room
- ✓Newborn Stabilization Unit (NBSU): for moderately sick and small newborns
- ✓Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU): 24x7 special care at district hospitals for seriously ill and low-birth-weight newborns
- ✓Stabilising a baby before transfer improves its chances
- ✓Connects with home-based care so a baby is supported from birth onward
Trained ASHA workers visit your home to check on your newborn during the first weeks after birth.
HBNC is a programme where your local ASHA (community health worker) comes to your home to care for your newborn in the early weeks of life. She checks the baby for any warning signs, helps you with breastfeeding and keeping the baby warm, and gives extra attention to small or low-birth-weight babies. If the baby seems unwell, she helps you reach a health facility quickly.
👪 Who it's for
Newborns, from birth up to 42 days of age (with extra attention to low-birth-weight and ill newborns).
⭐ What you get
- ✓Scheduled home visits by a trained ASHA in the first 42 days (days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42)
- ✓Early spotting of danger signs and quick referral when needed
- ✓Hands-on support with breastfeeding and keeping the baby warm
- ✓Special care guidance for small and low-birth-weight babies
- ✓Counselling for the mother on her own recovery after delivery
Home visits that continue beyond the newborn stage to support your child's nutrition and growth.
HBYC continues home support after the newborn period to help your young child grow and stay healthy. Your ASHA visits to guide you on breastfeeding, healthy complementary feeding, and watching your child's growth and development. She also helps spot any delays early and supports you in managing common childhood illnesses.
👪 Who it's for
Young children aged 3 to 15 months.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Five scheduled home visits in the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th and 15th months
- ✓Counselling on breastfeeding and good complementary feeding
- ✓Early tracking of growth and development using the Mother and Child Protection card
- ✓Help to recognise and manage common childhood illnesses
- ✓Prompt referral of a sick child to a health facility
Nationwide programme that promotes and supports breastfeeding for newborns and infants.
MAA ('Mothers' Absolute Affection') is a national programme to promote, protect and support breastfeeding. It builds an environment where mothers get the encouragement and skilled help they need, at home and at health facilities, to breastfeed successfully. It emphasises starting breastfeeding early and feeding only breast milk for the first six months.
👪 Who it's for
Pregnant women, lactating mothers and their families; aimed at newborns and infants.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Encourages early initiation of breastfeeding after birth
- ✓Promotes exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months
- ✓Skilled breastfeeding counselling via ASHAs, ANMs and facility staff
- ✓Community awareness and family support for nursing mothers
India's free national vaccination programme protecting babies and pregnant mothers from preventable diseases.
The Universal Immunization Programme is the government's free vaccination programme and one of the largest in the world. It gives babies and pregnant mothers life-saving vaccines that protect against several serious diseases. The government supplies all the vaccines through health centres across the country.
👪 Who it's for
Newborns, infants and young children, plus pregnant women.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free, government-supplied vaccines for every child
- ✓Protects against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases (9 nationwide, 3 in select areas)
- ✓Covers pregnant mothers as well as babies
- ✓Helped India eliminate polio and maternal/neonatal tetanus
- ✓Delivered through health centres nationwide
Special catch-up drives to reach children and mothers who missed their routine vaccinations.
Mission Indradhanush is a special vaccination drive under the Universal Immunization Programme to reach children and pregnant women who were missed or only partly vaccinated. It focuses on areas with low immunization coverage and hard-to-reach communities. Its later intensified rounds push extra effort into districts where the most children remain unvaccinated. The goal is to make sure as many children as possible are fully immunized.
👪 Who it's for
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children, and pregnant women, especially in under-served areas.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Finds and vaccinates children missed by routine services
- ✓Offers the same vaccines as the Universal Immunization Programme
- ✓Focuses on hard-to-reach and low-coverage areas
- ✓Aims to raise full immunization coverage
- ✓Also reaches pregnant mothers
A digital platform that records and tracks your child's vaccinations under the national programme.
U-WIN is the government's digital platform that digitalises the vaccination services given under the Universal Immunization Programme. It keeps an online record of every vaccine dose for pregnant women and for children, and sends reminders so doses are not missed. Parents can access vaccination records anytime and get a digital vaccination certificate.
👪 Who it's for
Pregnant women and children from birth to 16 years (for the 12 vaccine-preventable diseases under the national programme).
⭐ What you get
- ✓Online, anytime-anywhere record of your child's vaccinations
- ✓Automated SMS reminders before each vaccine is due
- ✓QR-based digital e-vaccination certificate
- ✓Covers the 12 vaccine-preventable diseases of the national programme
- ✓Helps make sure no dose is missed
Free Vitamin A doses for young children to prevent deficiency and protect their eyesight and health.
This programme gives young children regular doses of Vitamin A to prevent Vitamin A deficiency, a major but preventable health problem. Children receive the supplement at health centres as part of routine child-health care. The doses help protect children's eyes and overall health in their early years.
👪 Who it's for
Children aged 9 months to 5 years.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free Vitamin A supplementation for young children
- ✓Helps prevent Vitamin A deficiency and related eye problems
- ✓Covers children from 9 months up to 5 years of age
- ✓A total of 9 doses are given by the time a child turns 5
- ✓Delivered through the public health system
An approach that helps health workers assess, classify and treat the common illnesses of young children together.
IMNCI is India's approach (adapted from the WHO-UNICEF strategy) for managing the main illnesses of babies and young children in one integrated way. Instead of looking at one problem at a time, a trained health worker checks the sick child overall, classifies how serious it is, and decides on treatment or referral. The check also covers the child's nutrition and immunisation status. F-IMNCI is the facility-based version for managing sick newborns and children at health facilities.
👪 Who it's for
Sick infants and children under 5 years of age.
⭐ What you get
- ✓A single, integrated check-up that assesses, classifies and manages a sick child's main problems
- ✓Includes a check of the child's nutrition status
- ✓Includes a check of the child's immunisation status
- ✓Helps health workers decide on treatment or timely referral
- ✓F-IMNCI extends the skills to inpatient care of sick newborns and children
Anganwadi centres giving free food, health checks, vaccines and pre-school learning to young kids and mothers.
This is the long-running Anganwadi (ICDS) programme, now run as 'Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0'. Your neighbourhood Anganwadi centre offers a package of six services for small children, pregnant women and new mothers under one roof. It bundles supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, health check-ups, immunisation, referrals and nutrition & health education, with a strong focus on preventing malnutrition in the early years.
👪 Who it's for
Children aged 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free supplementary nutrition (take-home rations / hot meals)
- ✓Free pre-school (early childhood) education for 3-6 year-olds
- ✓Regular health check-ups and growth monitoring
- ✓Immunisation and referral support (through the health system)
- ✓Nutrition and health education for mothers
India's national mission to cut malnutrition and anaemia in young children, mothers and adolescent girls.
POSHAN Abhiyaan is India's flagship National Nutrition Mission. It is an umbrella mission that ties together nutrition schemes and many departments so families get joined-up support. It aims to steadily reduce stunting, underweight and anaemia in children and anaemia in women and adolescent girls, using technology, real-time tracking, convergence across programmes and a people's-movement (Jan Andolan) approach.
👪 Who it's for
Children aged 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Targets reduction in child stunting and underweight
- ✓Targets reduction in anaemia among children, women and adolescent girls
- ✓Strengthens and connects existing nutrition services
- ✓Uses digital tracking (Poshan Tracker) to monitor children's growth
- ✓Drives community awareness on good nutrition (Jan Andolan)
Free child health screening from birth to 18 years for the 4 Ds, with early treatment.
RBSK is a free government child-health screening programme. Trained teams check children from birth up to 18 years for the '4 Ds' — Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, and Development delays — to catch health problems early. Children found to have a covered condition get early intervention and follow-up care free of cost.
👪 Who it's for
Children from birth to 18 years of age.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free screening for the 4 Ds: Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, Development delays
- ✓Early detection means earlier, easier treatment
- ✓Free treatment and management of covered conditions
- ✓Reduces out-of-pocket spending for families
- ✓Aims to lower childhood illness, death and lifelong disability
National programme to reduce anaemia across six life stages using iron-folic acid, deworming and testing.
Anaemia Mukt Bharat is a nationwide strategy to bring down anaemia (low haemoglobin / iron deficiency) across the whole life cycle. It follows a '6x6x6' approach: six target groups, six interventions and six institutional mechanisms. The core idea is regular iron and folic acid supplements, periodic deworming, testing and treatment, and awareness — so children and women have enough healthy red blood.
👪 Who it's for
Six groups including children 6-59 months, school-age children, adolescents 10-19 years, women of reproductive age, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements suited to each age group
- ✓Periodic deworming to protect iron levels
- ✓Haemoglobin testing and point-of-care treatment
- ✓Year-round awareness on preventing anaemia
- ✓Promotes iron-fortified foods in government programmes
Hospital-based units that treat severely malnourished children who also have medical complications.
A Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre is a special unit inside a health facility where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications are admitted and cared for. Children receive round-the-clock medical treatment and therapeutic feeding to recover safely. Mothers and caregivers are also taught good feeding and care practices, with follow-up after the child goes home.
👪 Who it's for
Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications (typically under-five children).
⭐ What you get
- ✓Inpatient medical care for dangerously malnourished children
- ✓Therapeutic, nutrient-dense feeding to restore weight
- ✓Treatment of complications with round-the-clock monitoring
- ✓Teaches caregivers safe feeding and hygiene practices
- ✓Post-discharge follow-up to prevent relapse
Fixed-day drive giving safe deworming tablets to all children and teens to clear intestinal worms.
National Deworming Day is a fixed-day campaign to deworm children and adolescents and keep them worm-free. On these days, kids are given a safe deworming tablet (albendazole) at schools and Anganwadi centres. Clearing intestinal worms helps protect a child's iron levels, nutrition, growth and ability to learn.
👪 Who it's for
All children and adolescents aged 1-19 years (whether in school or not).
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free, safe deworming tablet (albendazole) for every child
- ✓Delivered conveniently through schools and Anganwadis
- ✓Helps prevent anaemia caused by worms
- ✓Supports better nutrition, growth and attendance
- ✓Held twice a year, on 10 February and 10 August
Free weekly iron-folic acid tablet for teenagers to prevent and treat anaemia.
WIFS is a school-based programme to prevent and reduce anaemia in teenagers. Adolescents take one supervised iron and folic acid (IFA) tablet every week on a fixed day, along with counselling and twice-a-year deworming. It reaches both school-going boys and girls and out-of-school adolescent girls through Anganwadi centres.
👪 Who it's for
Adolescents aged 10-19 years — students in classes 6-12, plus out-of-school adolescent girls.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free weekly iron + folic acid tablet (100 mg iron, 500 mcg folic acid)
- ✓Supervised dosing on a fixed weekly day
- ✓Twice-yearly deworming with albendazole
- ✓Counselling on diet and anaemia prevention
- ✓Covers both in-school adolescents and out-of-school girls
National adolescent health programme for ages 10-19, meeting teens where they are.
RKSK is the government's national health programme for adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. Instead of waiting for teens to visit a clinic, it reaches them in schools, families and communities with health information and care. It covers a broad set of teen-health needs across six priority areas.
👪 Who it's for
Adolescents aged 10-19 years, girls and boys, in and out of school, married and unmarried.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Focus on nutrition for growing teens
- ✓Sexual and reproductive health information and care
- ✓Support for mental health
- ✓Help with substance misuse, injuries and violence
- ✓Attention to non-communicable diseases
Schools-based health programme where two trained teachers act as 'Health and Wellness Ambassadors'.
This is a joint health-and-education programme that brings preventive health learning into schools. In every participating school, two teachers (preferably one male and one female) are trained as 'Health and Wellness Ambassadors'. They run fun, activity-based sessions of about an hour each week covering themes like nutrition, hygiene, emotional wellbeing and safety.
👪 Who it's for
School children in government and government-aided schools.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Two teachers per school trained as Health and Wellness Ambassadors
- ✓Age-appropriate health and nutrition learning for children
- ✓Engaging weekly activity-based sessions, not exams
- ✓Covers 11 thematic health and wellness areas
- ✓Builds healthy habits children can keep for life
Free TB care for children under the national TB programme, plus monthly nutrition support during treatment.
India's National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme provides free diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis, including for children, through government health services and the Ni-kshay platform. Childhood (paediatric) TB is handled as part of this national programme with dedicated guidelines for treating children. Under Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, every notified TB patient on treatment, including children, receives financial support each month to help with nutrition; for a child, this can be paid into the parent's or guardian's bank account.
👪 Who it's for
People of all ages with TB, including children (paediatric TB); nutrition support covers all notified TB patients on treatment.
⭐ What you get
- ✓Free TB diagnosis and treatment for children through government services
- ✓Dedicated paediatric-TB guidelines under the national programme
- ✓Monthly nutritional-support payment for every notified TB patient on treatment
- ✓For a child patient, support can be paid to the parent's or guardian's account
- ✓Care and tracking supported through the official Ni-kshay platform
Programme details follow official Government of India sources (MoHFW, National Health Mission, Ministry of Women & Child Development). Exact benefits, ages and amounts can vary by state and over time — confirm with your nearest health centre, ASHA or Anganwadi worker.
