Recently, the BJP released its Sankalp Patra for the 2024 elections and manifested that they will expand the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. According to the announcement, they will include eligible transgender individuals and senior citizens over 70 years under the Ayushman Bharat.
Ayushman Bharat Yojana
Ayushman Bharat Yojana is a health scheme initiated by the Government of India to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and access to quality healthcare for citizens of India.
The Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched on the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar by PM Narendra Modi on 14 April 2018.
The scheme is an attempt of GOI to address the healthcare issues at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, be it quality healthcare facilities or financial issues faced by the economically weaker section of people.
The scheme provides the beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat, health insurance of Rs 5 lakh, free treatment at government hospitals, and many more to achieve the commitment of leaving no one behind.
Eligible citizens can register under the scheme and avail the benefits of the scheme. The beneficiaries would get an Ayushman Bharat Card under this scheme to get various benefits at government healthcare centers, PHC, or other affiliated private hospitals.
| Scheme | Ayushman Bharat Yojana or PMJAY |
| Regulated by | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare |
| Launched on | 14 April 2018 |
| Implemented on | 23 September 2018 |
| Aims | To achieve Universal Health Coverage |
Elements of Ayushman Bharat Yojana
The Ayushman Bharat scheme includes core elements that ensure that beneficiaries under the scheme have access to affordable quality healthcare. Following are the features or elements of the Ayushman Bharat or PMJAY scheme:
- Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs)
Under the scheme, the central government of India promised to create 1,50,000 HWCs to bring proper medical care closer and accessible to people. The HWCs will be made by transforming existing primary and sub-health centers into well-equipped HWCs with primary healthcare facilities.
The primary healthcare facilities included under the HWCs are:
- Child Health Services
- Maternity and Pregnancy Care Services
- Newborn care health services
- Chronic disease medical care
- Emergency medical care for the elderly
- Infectious and Non-infectious disease medical care
- Mental Illness and Medical Healthcare
- Dental medical care
According to the reports, to date, 1.62 lakh HWCs are made and functional across various sectors of India to provide free essential medical care and diagnostic services.
- PM-JAY or National Health Protection Scheme
Another component of the Ayushman Bharat is PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), previously called the National Health Protection Scheme.
Under this second element of the Ayushman Bharat, the government has promised to cover 10 crore people from economically weaker sections and provide them with healthcare services at secondary and tertiary levels with financial support of Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
The beneficiaries covered under the scheme are decided by the SECC database for both rural and urban categories.
Eligibility Criteria for Ayushman Bharat Yojana
Following is the eligibility for the rural and urban household under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme:
Rural Households:
- The households belong to the SC/ST category.
- People who live in Kucha houses and don’t have well-built homes.
- Families or households where there are no adult male members to earn a living.
- There is no one above 16 years of age to earn a living for the family.
- BPL holders
- You have an income level of less than Rs 2.5 lakhs.
- Households that do not have any land and earn a living through casual labor.
Urban Households:
The government has categorized 11 occupations for urban households to avail of the PMJAY scheme benefits:
- Beggar
- Domestic Worker
- Street Vendors/hawkers/ or other service providers on streets.
- Electrician/ Assembler/ Repair worker/ Mechanic
- Sweeper/ Sanitation worker
- Peon/ Shop worker/helper/ waiter/ delivery assistant/ attendant
- Construction worker/ Painter/ Security guard/ Mason/ Labour/ Colie/ or any head-load worker
- Handicrafts worker/ home-based worker/ artisans/ tailor
- Washer-man
- Driver/ Cart puller/ transport worker/ conductors, etc.
How to apply for Ayushman Bharat Yojana?
The eligible people can apply for the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the following steps:
- Go to the official website of PMJAY at https://pmjay.gov.in/
- Now, tap on “Am I eligible” in the right-hand corner of the website.
- Next, enter your mobile number, and captcha, and get an OTP.
- After the verification of the OTP enter your state, name, ration card details, and other asked details on the portal.
- Next, you will get your eligibility results, then proceed to add your details on ABHA registration.
- Next, enter all the required details on the portal like Income, Aadhar card, etc.
- Next, after the approval of authorities, you can download your Ayushman card from the website.
The government of India launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme to provide quality and affordable healthcare without any hassle. Now, with the prospect of including transgender and elderly over 70 years in the scheme would cover all the people of India.