India’s flagship health initiative, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), has officially been recognized as the world’s largest government-funded healthcare scheme, providing cashless treatment coverage to over 55 crore beneficiaries across the nation.
Launched in September 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the scheme aims to provide a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. It targets the most vulnerable sections of society, covering nearly 40% of India’s population based on the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
As of mid-2025, Ayushman Bharat has:
- Issued over 32 crore Ayushman cards
- Facilitated more than 6 crore hospital admissions
- Empanelled over 28,000 public and private hospitals across India
- Saved beneficiaries over ₹1.3 lakh crore in out-of-pocket expenses
“Health is a right, not a privilege. Ayushman Bharat reflects our commitment to ‘Sarvodaya through Antyodaya’ — reaching the last mile with quality healthcare,” said Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
The scheme is also backed by a national health IT platform, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, enabling paperless, interoperable health records and smoother service delivery.
Globally applauded by the World Health Organization and World Bank, Ayushman Bharat serves as a model for universal health coverage in developing economies.
