The Centre is considering a proposal on increasing coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme to Rs 10 lakh from the current Rs 5 lakh.
The move to expand the health insurance scheme's coverage comes at a time when several hospitals have complained of delays in reimbursement related to the procedures performed under the scheme.
According to a parliamentary response by the Union health ministry in 2023, around 654,000 families in Delhi are eligible to enrol under the scheme.
The key components of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission include a health ID for every citizen that will also work as their health account, to which personal health records can be linked and viewed with the help of a mobile application, a Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registries (HFR) that will act as a repository of all healthcare providers across both modern and traditional systems of medicine.
Industry experts believe that health insurance companies are unlikely to experience business cannibalisation due to the central government's decision to extend health coverage to people aged 70 and above, regardless of their income level, under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet expanded the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to include all senior citizens aged 70 and older. This move is expected to benefit nearly 45 million families, comprising 60 million senior citizens, by providing Rs 5 lakh in free health insurance coverage per family.
India has launched an open Health AI benchmarking platform to evaluate artificial intelligence models on diverse Indian datasets before deployment at a population scale. The initiative aims to strengthen AI-driven claims management under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
The Rs 5 lakh free health insurance cover would benefit senior citizens of around 4.5 crore families. Eligible beneficiaries would be issued a new distinct card under the scheme, the government said.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ayushman Bharat health care scheme is just a slogan for the moment, it is the state's Mukhyamantri Amrutum health assurance scheme which is a comforting reality for many.
In Chhattisgarh, 40 lakh BPL smart card holders under the state's existing MSBY will be beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat.
West Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul announced the BJP government's commitment to women's empowerment and the continuation of welfare schemes. The 'Annapurna Bhandar' scheme will be accessible through an online portal, ensuring ease of application for all women in Bengal. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has directed officials to implement the scheme and free bus travel for women, while also assuring that existing social welfare schemes will continue.
Describing it as a "game changer", Modi said the scheme was a step towards serving the poor people of the country and it would come into effect from Sunday.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has accused the West Bengal government of deliberately withholding central allocations for social welfare projects, including Ayushman Bharat and PM Awas Yojana, impacting millions of citizens. He also criticised the state's handling of farmer support and public distribution systems.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has accused the TMC government in West Bengal of preventing the implementation of central welfare schemes, depriving the state's residents of benefits such as Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reports over 1,500 missing persons cases in Himachal Pradesh over the past three years, with Solan district reporting the highest number of cases. The government also addresses healthcare scheme liabilities and illegal tree felling.
'Where is the spirit of Team India?' asks Chandrababu Naidu.
Opposition members trooped to the well of the House raising slogans against the government from dropping Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural jobs initiative and tearing copies of the G RAM G Bill and flinging it towards the chair.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise of a 'white paper' on corruption in West Bengal, highlighting instances of opposition leaders joining the BJP and allegedly receiving leniency in corruption investigations.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticised the TMC government in West Bengal, accusing it of appeasement policies and urging voters to elect a BJP government for inclusive governance and development.
The PM alleged that a 'PC' (percentage commission) culture has become the state government's identity.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin has pledged to change place names deemed antithetical to West Bengal's culture and address Bangladeshi infiltration if the party wins the state election.
Ask rediffGURU Naveenn Kummar your insurance mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has accused the TMC of pursuing appeasement policies in West Bengal, urging voters to support a BJP government for inclusive governance and development.
Ayushman Bharat aims at providing a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually and is aimed at benefitting more than 10 crore poor families across the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday charged the Trinamool Congress government with 'playing with national security by protecting infiltrators' for vote-bank politics, and said ending the ruling party's 'maha jungle raj' was vital to restore law and order, development and investor confidence in the state.
The government aims to cover around 60 million people in the age category, irrespective of income, with an assured 5 lakh annually to be shared within the family.
The dichotomy between richer and poorer states is largely in consonance with the diversity in state level disease burden in the country.
The government on Sunday gave a strong push to upgradation and expansion of healthcare infrastructure, medical education and pharma sector with the Union Budget 2026-27 announcing a slew of steps, including those aimed at making India a global hub for allied healthcare professionals and biopharma manufacturing.
The Union Cabinet, meeting at the new PMO complex 'Seva Teerth', resolved to prioritize citizen empowerment and service in all its decisions, guided by the principle of 'Nagrik Devo Bhava'.
In a world fractured by uncertainty, India stands out for its policy consistency, paired with sustained ambition, points out Pritam Banerjee.
The newly-formed Delhi Cabinet in its first meeting approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the national capital. The cabinet also decided to present 14 pending CAG reports in the first session of the assembly. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the previous AAP government did not allow the health scheme in the city, preventing the people from availing its benefits.
AAP projects its affordable 'health model' as a success story. The BJP calls it a hoax.
Modi said the situation is rapidly changing and a new era of peace is setting in Naxal-affected areas.
Healthcare: Good news for all ASHA, anganwadi workers
A series of decisions were taken under the Public Health Department, including an approval to increase honoraria for field-level workers engaged under the Ayushman BharatPradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp critique of the RJD, emphasizing the hardships faced by women in Bihar under its governance. He highlighted the current government's initiatives for women's empowerment and urged them to prevent the RJD's return to power.
With the tagline "Na duri hai, na khai hai, Modi hamara bhai hai, (there's no detachment, there's no chasm, Modi is our brother)", the campaign aims to attract at least 1,000 Muslim women towards the party.
Here are the key highlights of the BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' for the 2024 parliamentary polls.
Banerjee expressed skepticism about the BJP's ambitious target of achieving 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
Government officials have lodged FIRs and slapped fines to the tune of Rs 1 crore on hospitals involved in frauds.
The SC said it is not asking all the private hospitals to treat certain number of COVID-19 patients for free.
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