Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Assam has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first State in Bharat to distribute over one crore Ayushman cards. The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme offers health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
Dr Himanta expressed pride over the accomplishment in a post on X stating, “Assam achieves a new milestone. The State has taken sustained efforts to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s goal of Universal Health Coverage.” He credited initiatives such as ‘Viksit Bharat Yatra’ and ‘Ayushman Apke Dwar Abhiyan’ for this achievement.
The Ayushman Bharat Yojana stands as the world’s largest health insurance initiative, providing coverage to eligible Indian families. With approximately 50 crore beneficiaries, it offers access to tertiary and secondary care hospitalisation, benefiting 40 per cent of impoverished and vulnerable households in Bharat.
Eligibility is determined based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011, which categorizes households in rural and urban areas according to occupational and deprivation criteria. Initially known as the National Health Protection Scheme, it absorbed the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana of 2008, extending coverage to families not listed in the SECC 2011 database.
The primary objective of the scheme is to ease the financial burden of medical expenses, preventing nearly 6 crore Indians from falling into poverty annually. Funding for this initiative is provided by the Indian Government.
