West Bengal implements Ayushman Bharat PMJAY schemes for families with 1.43 cr

New Delhi: West Bengal has become the latest state to join the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the government’s flagship health insurance scheme, on Monday signing an MoU with the National Health Authority to extend cashless health insurance up to ₹5 crore annually for 1.43 crore families or 6 crore individuals.

The persistence of Mamata Banerjee’s tenure formally ended when the state joined the scheme, completing the rollout of the scheme in all 36 states and Union Territories. The MoU was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Union Health Minister JP Nadda and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Beneficiaries in West Bengal include 1.24 million low-income families, nearly 16 million households of senior citizens aged 70 and above, and 3 million families of frontline health workers, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers. The Union Government pledged close ₹1,000 crore annually to fund the scheme in the state, with the total allocation ₹3,505 million crowns were transported in 2026-2027.

Nationally, the program now covers more than 62 million individuals, with beneficiaries receiving more than 12 million treatments worth more than ₹1.82 trillion since inception.

“The portability feature of PM-JAY would be particularly beneficial for migrant workers from West Bengal and their families,” Nadda said, adding that such workers have access to cashless treatment at registered facilities across the country.

Chief Minister Adhikari outlined the state administration’s ongoing efforts to build stronger public health services and noted that more than 80% of public representatives have been sensitized under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

“The implementation of AB PM-JAY marks a significant step towards the vision of ‘Swasth Bengal, Swasth Bharat’,” Adhikari said.