Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a centrally sponsored scheme which replaces the National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). The main objective of JSY is to reduce overall maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate, and also to increase the institutional deliveries in the families. Under the scheme a SC or ST pregnant women irrespective of their financial status and any BPL pregnant women, aged 19 years or above would be eligible to receive a grant of Rs. 500/- up to two live births. An additional benefit of Rs. 200/- + Rs.300/- = Rs. 500/- will be given to these women, if her delivery takes place in any government institutional facility.

       Following table shows the comparative performance under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) during the last two years :

       The Janani Suraksha Yojana is being further supported by yet another scheme known as the Referral Transport Scheme. The main objective of the RTS is to popularize and strengthen institutional delivery among pregnant women belonging to BPL families. Under this scheme financial grants are being provided to eligible pregnant women for coming to health institution for normal and complicated deliveries.

       Following table shows the comparative performance under Referral Transport Scheme (RTS) during the last two years :

       Shortage of adequate health infrastructure in the rural areas are being overcome by the conduction of Gram Panchayat Based Mobile Heath Camps. This scheme which has now been almost institutionalized provides for organizing Mobile Health Camps on a fixed day and fixed time each week in all Gram Panchayats Head Quarters throughout the district. This has improved the reach of RCH, Immunization, Family welfare and clinical services to larger section of population. The mobile camps provides services like ante-natal/post natal check-up, immunization of children including Vitamin –A supplementation, treatment of minor ailments and minor injuries including supply of drugs to patients, promotion of contraceptive services including IUD insertion, prophylaxis and treatment of anemia with IFA tablets, IEC and counseling etc. including different public health programmes. At present 61 Gram Panchayats out of the 128 Gram Panchayats of the district have been covered by GP based Mobile Health Camps.

       Following table shows the comparative performance under GP based Mobile Health Camps during the last three years :

       ASHA is one of the important programme under the NRHM. Under this scheme one social health activists is being engaged for every 800 to 1200 population to serve as a link between the community and rural health system. Such health activist The National Rural Health Mission provides for engagement of ASHA for every 800-1200 population to serve as a link between the community and rural health system. The nature of the jobs in her village is to attend the outreach session and sub centre on immunization, visit every household in a period, escort pregnant women to institutions for delivery, awareness and mothers meeting and reporting of incidence of outbreaks etc.

       The National Rural Health Mission provides for engagement of Second ANMs in a phased manner up to 2010 in all the Sub-Centre in the state. These ANMs would be married women in the age group of 25-35 years and a resident of one of the villages comprising the sub Centre. They are engaged on a purely contractual basis by the Block Health and Family Welfare Samiti on behalf of the District Health Mission. The selected candidates are to receive 18 months of training in Government run or approved nursing training school. They would be posted in the sub centre for which they have been selected after successful completion of the training. At present the implementation of 2nd ANM has already been completed in the 7 Blocks out of 12 Blocks of the District.

       Family Welfare Programme also constitutes an important intervention in our district Annual Health Plan. The achievement of the district with regard to various components of Family Welfare Programme has been very satisfactory and infact is more than the Expected Level of Achievement up to the month of February 2010.

       Following table shows the achievements of Family Welfare Programme against various components :

       The district has been giving focused attention for the Universalization of Immunization in order to improve the health indicators with regard to IMR, MMR, Safe Delivery etc.

       Following table shows the progress of the Immunization Programme in the district :

       The district of Cooch Behar was selected for the implementation of Total Sanitation Campaign with effect from 2002-03. The basic aim of the TSC project is to provide accessibility to Sanitary facilities to each and every household. For this purpose, each and every house hold in the district is being persuaded or encouraged to use and maintain a IHL. The BPL house holds are provided with 75% subsidy to construct such IHL.

       Second, important component of the TSC is the School Sanitation programme including that for the AWCs and other such institutions. Here the aim is to inculcate hygiene and sanitary habits among school children. This also helps in the retention of the girl children in our schools and ultimately the school children acts as “Messengers of Sanitation” for the community.

       Similarly the project also provides for installation of community run toilet blocks in important public places like rural hats, market places, highways etc.

       The overall ultimate aim is the 100% stoppage of open defecations throughout the district, to develop sanitary and hygienic habits and cleanliness among the masses and to make the district Nirmal District or fully Sanitized District in the long run.

       So far one Panchayat Samiti namely Mathabhanga-II and 29 Garam Panchayat of the District has been awarded with Nirmal Gram Purashkar by the Govt. of India for the effective implementation of the total sanitation programme. For the year 2009-10 sixty numbers of Gram Panchayat and two numbers of Panchayat Samities have been proposed for moving the GOI for Nirmal Gram Purashkar.

       Following table shows the status of various components of sanitation programme in the District :

       Providing safe drinking water to our people has always remains priority sector in this District. Though piped water supply is the most popular source of drinking water in the District only about 45% - 47% of the population of this district have access to piped water supply. The major source of drinking water in the District are presently the hand bore tube well provided under schemes like the RWS and the ARWSP. There are at present 87 nos. of Piped water supply schemes maintained and operated by the PHE department. These covers as many as 349 villages of the district. In addition to this as many as 8 nos. of such PHE operated piped water supply schemes has now been handed over to local Panchayats for operation. The Zilla Parishad has sanctioned 15 nos. of community water supply schemes under Swajal Dhara Prokolpa. These schemes are community owned maintained and operated piped water supply schemes.

       Following table shows the status different types of drinking water sources in the district :