**Executive Summary**
The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme, notified by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) under the Ministry of Cooperation, aims to provide financial assistance to eligible cooperatives in the healthcare sector. The scheme supports long-term financial sustainability for cooperatives working in healthcare, including AYUSH, promoting community ownership and participation. This scheme supports the National Health Policy 2017 and NCDC Direct Funding guidelines.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Eligibility:** Any Cooperative Society registered under State or Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act with provisions for hospital, healthcare, or health education services.
* **Objective:**
* Assist affordable healthcare through cooperative societies.
* Promote AYUSH facilities via cooperative societies.
* Support cooperative societies in meeting National Health Policy objectives.
* Enable cooperative societies' participation in the National Digital Health Mission.
* Facilitate comprehensive healthcare, including education, services, and insurance.
* **Activities Covered:**
* Infrastructure: Creation, modernization, expansion, repairs, renovation of hospital, healthcare and education facilities.
* Various Healthcare Infrastructure: Hospitals, medical, AYUSH, dental, nursing, pharmacy, paramedical and physiotherapy colleges, yoga wellness centers, traditional medicine centers, elderly care, palliative care, disability services, mental healthcare, trauma centers, physiotherapy centers, mobile clinics, health clubs and gyms, AYUSH pharmaceutical manufacturing, drug testing labs, dental/ ophthalmic/ laboratory/ diagnostic services, blood banks, specialized therapy centers, maternal/ reproductive/ child health services, and telemedicine facilities.
* Logistics, healthcare, and education related.
* Information and Communication Technology related to digital health.
* Health insurance accredited by IRDA.
* Margin and working capital for day-to-day operations.
* **Loan Details:**
* Maximum period of 8 years, including 1-2 years moratorium on principal payment.
* 1% interest rate reduction for borrower cooperative societies with a majority of women members, applicable for the entire loan tenure if repayments are timely.
* Security can include mortgage of assets, government guarantees, FDR pledge, Central PSU guarantees, or hypothecation of government bonds.
* **Funding Pattern:**
* Loan assistance to be dovetailed with subsidy, grant, VGF, or other mechanisms from Government of India, State Government, or Funding Agency.
* Projects are supported with funding patterns for infrastructure creation and margin money through both State Governments and Direct Funding.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Cooperative Societies**
* **Impact:** Receives financial assistance to establish, expand, or upgrade healthcare facilities and services, improving long-term sustainability.
* **Action Required:** Register under the relevant act with suitable provisions, submit a project proposal to NCDC, and meet NCDC's direct funding guidelines.
**Stakeholder: Patients/Communities**
* **Impact:** Access to more affordable and comprehensive healthcare services, including AYUSH options, closer to their communities, and benefiting from healthcare education and insurance.
* **Action Required:** Engage with cooperative societies offering healthcare services to benefit from the scheme.
**Stakeholder: NCDC**
* **Impact:** Plays a central role in promoting healthcare development through cooperative societies, aligning with the National Health Policy and NCDC Direct Funding guidelines.
* **Action Required:** Provide financial assistance and technical support to eligible cooperative societies, monitor project implementation, and ensure compliance with scheme guidelines.
**Stakeholder: Ministry of Cooperation**
* **Impact:** Advances the Ministry's mandate of promoting cooperative societies in the manufacturing and services sector, specifically in healthcare.
* **Action Required:** Oversee the implementation of the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme and ensure alignment with national policies and priorities.
Key Entities Referenced
Ayushman Sahakar scheme: A scheme by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) to provide financial assistance to cooperative societies for healthcare development, including AYUSH facilities.
National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC): An apex level statutory institution under Ministry of Cooperation that promotes cooperative societies by providing financial assistance.
Ministry of Cooperation: The ministry under which the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) operates.
National Health Policy: A policy focused on shaping health systems, aligning with the objectives of the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme.
State Act/Multi State Cooperative Societies Act: Acts under which a cooperative society must be registered to be eligible for financial assistance under the Ayushman Sahakar scheme.
Ministry of Cooperation
Ayushman sahakar scheme
Posted On: 11 FEB 2026 3:58PM by PIB Delhi
National Cooperative Development Corporation a statutory organization under Ministry of Cooperation
interalia undertakes schemes for promotion of cooperative societies in manufacturing and services sector.
NCDC while aligning itself with mandate of National Health Policy to develop health care sector notified
Ayushman Sahakar scheme. As part of scheme, NCDC sanctions financial assistance to eligible
cooperatives in healthcare sector after detailed technical and financial appraisal of the project, thereby
ensuring long term financial sustainability. The scheme provides financial assistance to co-operatives
working in healthcare including AYUSH thereby promoting community ownership, participation, and
accountability in healthcare delivery.
Any Cooperative Society registered under any State Act or Multi State Cooperative Societies Act with
suitable provision in its byelaws to undertake services related to hospital, healthcare or health education, is
eligible for financial assistance under the scheme. NCDC assistance (as term loan or investment loan) is
provided either through the State Governments/ UT Administrations or directly to the cooperatives which
fulfil NCDC Direct Funding guidelines criteria. Details of scheme are at Annexure.
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Annexure
Ayushman SAHAKAR Scheme
National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is an apex level statutory institution set up by
the Government of India under an Act of the Parliament in 1963. NCDC has been created for the purpose
of planning and promoting programmes for the production, processing, marketing, storage, export and
import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock, certain other commodities and
services on cooperative principles. NCDC extends financial assistance to cooperatives at all the three tiers,
Primary, District and Apex / Multi-State. NCDC is under the administrative control of the Ministry of
Cooperation.
Objective:
Aligning itself with the focus on National Health Policy 2017, aimed at shaping the health systems in all
its dimensions in india, accordingly, NCDC had notified AYUSHMAN SAHAKAR Scheme.
Objectives of the scheme are:
a. To assist provision of affordable and holistic healthcare through hospitals / healthcare /
education facilities by cooperative societies,
b. To assist promotion of AYUSH facilities by cooperative societies,
c. To assist cooperative societies meet the objectives of National Health Policy,
d. To assist cooperative societies participate in the National Digital Health Mission,
e. To assist cooperative societies provide comprehensive healthcare including education,
services, insurance and activities related thereto.Activities covered under Ayushman Sahakar Scheme.
1. Infrastructure: For creation, modernization, expansion, repairs, renovation of hospital, healthcare
and education infrastructure covering-
a. All types of infrastructure for:
i. Hospitals and/ or Medical/ AYUSH/ Dental/ Nursing/ Pharmacy/ Paramedical/
Physiotherapy colleges for running UG and /or PG programmes,
ii. Yoga Wellness Centre,
iii. Ayurveda, Allopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy other traditional medicine healthcare
centres,
iv. Health care services for elderly,
v. Palliative care services,
vi. Health care services for Persons with Disabilities,
vii. Mental healthcare services,
viii. Emergency Medical Services / Trauma Centre,
ix. Physiotherapy centre,
x. Mobile Clinic Services,
xi. Health Club and Gym,
xii. AYUSH pharmaceutical manufacturing,
xiii. Drug testing laboratory,
xiv. Dental care centre,
xv. Ophthalmic care centre,
xvi. Laboratory services,
xvii. Diagnostics services,
xviii. Blood Bank / Transfusion services,
xix. Panchkarma/ Thokkanam/ Kshar sutra therapy centre,
xx. Regimental Therapy of Unani (Ilaj BilTadbeer) centre,
xxi. Maternal health and Childcare services,
xxii. Reproductive and Child Health services,
xxiii. Any other related centre or services as may be deemed fit by NCDC for assistance.
b. Telemedicine and remote assisted medical procedures,
c. Logistics health, healthcare and education,
d. Information and Communication Technology related to digital health,
e. Health insurance accredited by Insurance Regulatory andDevelopment Authority (IRDA).
2. Margin money for raising working capital required for day-to-day operations in respect of those
mentioned in the para1 above.
3. Working capital for day-to-day operations
Eligibility:
Any Cooperative Society registered under any State/ Multi State Cooperative Societies Act in the country,
with suitable provision in the bye-laws to undertake services related to hospital/ healthcare/ health
education.
Project Cost:
As per actual requirement.
Loan Period:
Period of loan can be up to 8 years, including 1 - 2 years moratorium on payment of principal, depending
on the type of project and its ability to generate revenue.Rate of Interest:
As an incentive, NCDC will provide 1 % less than its applicable rate of interest on term loan for the
project activities in case of borrower cooperative society where women members are in majority for the
entire tenure of the loan only if timely repayments are made.
Security:
The cooperative society may offer security for the loan in any one or combination of the following to the
satisfaction of NCDC:
a. Mortgage of assets, including assets to be created under the proposed project, to the extent of 1.5
times of NCDC loan.
b. Guarantee of State/Central Government.
c. Pledge of FDRs of scheduled banks/ nationalized banks, to the extent of 1.2 times of NCDC loan.
d. Guarantee by Central PSUs/ Statutory bodies/CSR Foundations of Central PSUs.
e. Guarantee from Scheduled banks / Nationalised bank.
f. Hypothecation and assignment of Government bonds/ securities to the extent of 1.2 times of
NCDC loan.
Subsidy:
NCDC loan assistance is proposed to be dovetailed with subsidy/ grant/ VGF/ any other mechanism of
Government of India or State Government or any other Funding Agency.
Funding Pattern:
The projects would be supported with following funding pattern :
Infrastructure Creation (Project Facilities):
Funding through State Govt. Direct Funding
NCDC to State Govt. State Govt. to Society NCDC to Society
Loan* - 90% Loan* - 50% Loan*- 70%
Share Capital** - 40%
Society’s Share - 10% Society’s Share – 10% Society’s Share - 30%
*In case subsidy/ grant under any scheme of Government of India or State Government or any other
Funding Agency are dovetailed, the loan amount may be reduced proportionately.
** In case share capital is not contributed by State Govt., the same (40%) shall also be passed on as loan
to Society.
Margin Money:
Funding through State Govt. Direct Funding
NCDC to State Govt. State Govt. to Society NCDC to SocietyLoan* for availing Bank credit. Loan* or Share Capital or Loan- Loan* 100% ***
cum-Share capital
100% ***
100% ***
* In case subsidy/ grant under any scheme of Government of India or State Government or any other
Funding Agency are dovetailed, the loan amount may be reduced proportionately.
*** Eligibility of Margin Money assistance is subject to assessment.
Working Capital:
Funding through State Govt. Direct Funding
NCDC to State Govt. State Govt. to Society NCDC to Society
Loan as per requirement Loan Loan
This information was given by Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah in a written
reply in Rajya Sabha.
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