India’s flagship health assurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan-Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), has completed eight years, funding 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 2.03 lakh crore, according to an official factsheet.
More than 48.51 crore people now hold Ayushman cards. The scheme covers nearly 33 per cent of India’s population through more than 38,000 empanelled public and private hospitals.
AB PM-JAY aims to protect families from catastrophic medical expenses. It provides cashless treatment for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialities.
In March 2024, the government expanded the scheme to around 37 lakh families of ASHAs, anganwadi workers and anganwadi helpers. More than 44.81 lakh Ayushman cards have since been created for ASHAs, AWWs and AWHs.
The government further expanded AB PM-JAY in September 2024 to cover all citizens aged 70 years and above.
The expansion targets around six crore senior citizens. More than 1.36 crore senior citizens currently hold Ayushman Vay Vandana cards.
The scheme identifies beneficiary families using deprivation and occupational criteria under the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011. It includes families earlier covered under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).
Ayushman Bharat includes four flagship initiatives: AB PM-JAY, Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
As of September 17, 2026, Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs had facilitated more than 50 crore teleconsultations. Their cumulative footfall exceeded 540 crore.
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