The Delhi government is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Health Authority on March 18 to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), according to official sources.
With this move, Delhi will become the 35th state or Union Territory to adopt the health insurance scheme, leaving West Bengal as the only state yet to implement it.
The signing ceremony will be attended by Union Health Minister J P Nadda, and as part of the event, five families will be issued AB-PMJAY cards, officially enrolling them as beneficiaries.
Implementing the scheme was a key promise in the BJP’s campaign for the Delhi Assembly elections. The previous AAP-led government had opted for its own healthcare initiative and had declined to adopt AB-PMJAY.
Following its victory in the February 5 Delhi Assembly election, the BJP has moved forward with integrating the scheme, marking its return to power in the national capital after more than 26 years.
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AB-PMJAY offers health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalizations, benefiting approximately 55 crore individuals across 12.37 crore economically weaker families, which constitute the bottom 40% of India’s population.
In a major expansion of the scheme, the central government announced on October 29, 2024, that all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of their socio-economic status, would also be eligible for free treatment benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh per year under AB-PMJAY.
