"Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY Marks Eight Years, Expands Coverage"
SECC 2011
Socio-Economic Caste Census used to identify AB-PMJAY's rural beneficiary households.
Ayushman Vay Vandana card
separate card covering all senior citizens aged 70+ regardless of income.
India's push for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) rests on the goal, endorsed by the World Health Organization and embedded in SDG 3.8, of ensuring every citizen can access quality healthcare without financial hardship. The National Health Policy, 2017 set a target of raising public health spending to 2.5% of GDP, a benchmark India has historically struggled to meet. To bridge this gap, the government launched the Ayushman Bharat programme in 2018 with a twin approach: strengthening primary care supply through what are now called Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs (formerly Health and Wellness Centres), and protecting families from catastrophic health expenditure through a publicly funded insurance scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
Over time, this architecture has expanded into four flagship components: AB-PMJAY for hospitalisation cover, Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs for primary care, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) for a digital health record layer, and the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) for strengthening district and block-level infrastructure. ABDM's adoption by hospitals is voluntary rather than mandatory, but its core promise is a unique health ID that makes medical records portable across the country, regardless of which hospital or state a patient visits.
AB-PMJAY is a centrally sponsored, publicly funded health assurance scheme that covers secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. It offers cashless treatment for 1,961 procedures spread across 27 medical specialties through a network of empanelled public and private hospitals. Funding is shared between the Centre and States in a 60:40 ratio for most States. For the North-Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, the ratio shifts to 90:10 in the Centre's favour. Union Territories without a legislature receive 100% central funding, while those with a legislature follow the standard 60:40 split.
Beneficiary identification is not based on a fresh survey but on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), 2011. Rural households qualify if they fall under specific deprivation criteria: living in a single kutcha room, having no adult member of working age, being a female-headed household without an adult male, having a disabled member with no able-bodied adult, belonging to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe household, or being landless and dependent on manual casual labour. …
With reference to Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, consider the following statements:
1.Private and public hospitals must adopt it.
2.As it aims to achieve universal health coverage, every citizen of India should be part of it ultimately.
3.It has seamless portability across the country.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
In order to enhance the prospects of social development, sound and adequate health care policies are needed particularly in the fields of geriatric and maternal health care. Discuss.
The increase in life expectancy in the country has led to newer health challenges in the community. What are those challenges and what steps need to be taken to meet them?
In a crucial domain like the public healthcare system the Indian State should play a vital role to contain the adverse impact of marketisation of the system. Suggest some measures through which the State can enhance the reach of public healthcare at the grassroots level.
With reference to the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), consider the following statements:
1.Adoption of ABDM is mandatory for all public and private healthcare providers.
2.It enables portability of health records across the country through a unique health ID.
3.It guarantees that every citizen of India is ultimately enrolled to achieve universal health coverage.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to eligibility under AB-PMJAY, consider the following statements:
1.Rural beneficiaries are identified using deprivation criteria specified in the Socio-Economic Caste Census, 2011.
2.Urban beneficiaries are identified through a list of specified occupational categories, such as street vendors, domestic workers and construction workers.
3.Families previously covered under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana are automatically excluded from AB-PMJAY.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match the following components of the Ayushman Bharat programme with their primary function:
Component:
A.AB-PMJAY
B.Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs
C.Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
D.PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission
Function:
1.Digital health ID and interoperable health records
2.Cashless hospitalisation insurance cover
3.Comprehensive primary health care delivery
4.Strengthening health infrastructure for pandemic preparedness
Select the correct match:
With reference to the AB-PMJAY funding structure, consider the following statements:
1.Funding is shared between the Centre and States in the ratio of 60:40 for most States.
2.For North-Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, the Centre bears 90% of the funding.
3.For Union Territories without a legislature, the Union Government provides 100% of the funding.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'Ayushman Vay Vandana Card', introduced in 2024, extends AB-PMJAY health coverage to:
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