Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Completes Eight Years with Over 60 Crore People Covered

Key facts

• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) completed eight years, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister JP Nadda marking the milestone.
• AB PM-JAY, launched on September 23, 2018, provides cashless hospitalisation coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care to economically vulnerable citizens.
• More than 60 crore people are covered under the scheme, with over 48.54 crore Ayushman cards created and more than 13 crore people having availed treatment.
• The scheme has funded 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth ₹2.03 lakh crore through more than 38,000 empanelled public and private hospitals as of August 31, 2026.
• AB PM-JAY covers 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialities and aims to protect families from catastrophic medical expenses.
• The scheme has been expanded to cover ASHAs, anganwadi workers and helpers, and senior citizens aged 70 years and above, with over 44.81 lakh Ayushman cards created for the former and over 1.36 crore Ayushman Vay Vandana cards issued to senior citizens as of September 21, 2026.
• Beneficiaries include eligible families identified through deprivation and occupational criteria, construction workers, road accident victims, transgender persons under the SMILE initiative, waste pickers, sanitation workers, and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have recorded over 500 crore visits, strengthening primary healthcare at the grassroots level.
• AB PM-JAY works alongside Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), and the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) to strengthen healthcare delivery from primary care to hospital-based treatment.