UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi unveiled the Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram - an ambitious national healthcare programme aimed at providing free child delivery and neonatal care services across the country.

Inaugurated at Mandikhera village located in the relatively backward and predominantly Muslim Haryana district of Mewat, the scheme is expected to bring safe medical services to more than one crore rural and urban families every year. Mrs Gandhi said, "It is sad that 67,000 women die in child birth every year and nine lakh children die in one month of birth. This scheme will give right to all pregnant women to have free delivery in government health organisations."