JK’s Maternal Mortality Ratio Below National Average, Ladakh Records Lowest JSY Spending

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) stands at 80 deaths per lakh live births, lower than the national average of 88. While the exact MMR status in Ladakh is not known, it has seen some of the smallest allocations and expenditures under maternal health schemes in the country, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

In a written reply to MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said that JK was sanctioned Rs 7,901.03 lakh under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) in 2020–21, with approvals dropping sharply to Rs 2,733.03 lakh in subsequent years, including 2024–25. JSY expenditure in the UT fluctuated, from Rs 2,260.37 lakh in 2020–21 to Rs 3,124.70 lakh in 2024–25.

Ladakh, by contrast, received just Rs 73.47 lakh in JSY approvals in 2020–21, with only a marginal rise to Rs 79.27 lakh in 2021–22 before stabilising at Rs 74.90 lakh in the current year. Actual expenditure has remained much lower — Rs 49.40 lakh in 2020–21, spiking to Rs 132.11 lakh in 2021–22, then dropping to Rs 42.21 lakh in 2024–25.

The Janani Suraksha Yojana, a centrally sponsored scheme, provides cash assistance and postnatal care to encourage institutional deliveries, while the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) offers cash incentives for the first child and for a second child if it is a girl. Both schemes are implemented through public health facilities and Anganwadi centres across JK and Ladakh.

The Ministry said institutional deliveries in JK and Ladakh are supported through these schemes, but detailed district-wise delivery figures were not included in the reply. Nationally, institutional births have risen sharply since the launch of the National Rural Health Mission, contributing to the fall in maternal mortality.