**Executive Summary**
This document presents the response to Unstarred Question No. 1224 in the Lok Sabha, concerning the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The response outlines beneficiary eligibility criteria, socio-economic categories included, and statistics on hospital admissions authorized under the scheme. The question was scheduled to be answered on February 6th, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Beneficiary Eligibility and Selection:**
* Initially based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) database of 2011.
* From January 2022, States/UTs have the flexibility to use non-SECC, Aadhaar-seeded beneficiary family databases to cover previously unidentified SECC families.
* Many States/UTs are using databases with similar socio-economic profiles such as NFSA, Parivar Pechan Patra, and other State-specific databases.
* Expanded in March 2024 to include 37 lakh Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, and their families.
* Expanded in October 2024 to provide free treatment benefits of up to ₹5 lakh per year to approximately 6 crore senior citizens aged 70 years and above, belonging to 4.5 crore families, irrespective of their socio-economic status, through Vay Vandana cards.
* **Hospital Admissions Statistics:**
* Financial Year 2022-23: 1.59 crore
* Financial Year 2023-24: 1.98 crore
* Financial Year 2024-25: 2.42 crore
* Financial Year 2025-26 (As on 31.12.2025): 2.04 crore
* Includes statistics on hospital admissions authorized in the Jhunjhunu and Baghpat districts, and State/UT – wise details of number of hospital admissions authorized under the scheme during the last three years are at Annexure.
* **Financial Cover Ceiling:**
* There is currently no proposal under consideration to increase the ceiling of financial cover under the scheme.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholders:**
**AB-PMJAY Beneficiaries:**
* **Impact:** Receive healthcare benefits based on updated eligibility criteria.
* **Action Required:** None specified in document.
**State Governments/Union Territories (UTs):**
* **Impact:** Granted flexibility in using non-SECC databases for beneficiary identification.
* **Action Required:** Implement and manage the use of appropriate databases for beneficiary identification.
**Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, Senior Citizens:**
* **Impact:** Included within AB-PMJAY
* **Action Required:** None specified in document.
**Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing and managing the AB-PMJAY scheme.
* **Action Required:** None specified in document.
Key Entities Referenced
Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY): A health scheme to provide free treatment to eligible beneficiaries.
Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC): The database used initially for identifying eligible beneficiary families for the AB-PMJAY scheme.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The government body responsible for the implementation and administration of health and family welfare programs.
Rajasthan: One of the key states mentioned for beneficiary statistics under the AB-PMJAY scheme.
Uttar Pradesh: One of the key states mentioned for beneficiary statistics under the AB-PMJAY scheme.
GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1224
TOBE ANSWERED ON 06TH FEBRUARY,2026
SELECTION OFBENEFICIARIES UNDER AB-PMJAY
†1224.DR. RAJKUMAR SANGWAN:
SHRIBRIJENDRASINGH OLA:
Will the Minister of HEALTHAND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate:
(a) the criteria for eligibility and selection of beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat-
PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme (AB-PMJAY);
(b) the various socio-economic categories that have been included under the said scheme at
present;
(c) the total number of beneficiaries who have received free treatment under the said scheme
across the countryduring the last three years, includingthe current year, State-wise especially
area-wise and Lok Sabha Constituency-wise particularly in the State of Rajasthan and Uttar
Pradesh,especiallyin the Jhunjhunu andBaghpat LokSabhaConstituencies;
(d) whether the Government proposes to raise the present ceiling for free treatment from Rs.
5lakhstoRs. 20lakhperfamilyperyear underthe AyushmanBharat Scheme;
(e)if so, the time bywhich the same islikelytobe implemented;and
(f) if not,the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND
FAMILYWELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV)
(a) and (b): Under Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the
eligibility criteria for the beneficiary families were initially identified from the Socio-
Economic Caste Census (SECC) database of 2011. In January 2022, States/UTs were
provided flexibility to use non-SECC, Aadhaar-seeded beneficiary family databases against
the leftover unidentified SECC families. Accordingly, many States/UTs adopted databases of
familieswithsimilarsocio-economic profiles,suchastheNationalFoodSecurityAct (NFSA)
database,ParivarPechan Patra,andotherState-specific databases, tocoverthe gap.In March 2024, the eligibility criteria under the scheme were expanded to include 37 lakh
Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers and their
families. Further, in October 2024, the government expanded AB-PMJAY to provide free
treatment benefits of up to ₹5 lakh per year to approximately 6 crore senior citizens aged 70
years and above, belonging to 4.5 crore families, irrespective of their socio-economic status,
through VayVandanacards.
(c): The details of number of hospitals admissions authorized during the last three years
includingthe current year are asunder:
Numberofhospitaladmissionsauthorized
FinancialYear
(incrore)
2022-23 1.59
2023-24 1.98
2024-25 2.42
2025-26 (Ason31.12.2025) 2.04
The details of number of hospital admissions authorized in the Jhunjhunu district of
Rajasthan andBaghpat district of Uttar Pradeshare asunder:
No. of authorizedhospital admissions
Financial Year
Jhunjhunu Baghpat
2022-23 59,602 5366
2023-24 77,040 13,655
2024-25 71,525 18,723
2025-26(Ason31.12.2025) 61,705 18,654
State/UT–wise detailsof number of hospital admissions authorized underthe scheme during
the last three yearsare at Annexure.
(d) to (f): Currently, there is no such proposal under consideration to increase the ceiling of
financialcoverunderthe scheme.Annexure
State/UT–wise detailsof numberof hospital admissions authorizedunder the scheme during
the last three years
Number of hospital admissions authorized
State/UT (from April 2022toDecember2025)
(inlakhs)
AndamanAnd Nicobar Islands 0.03
Andhra Pradesh 70.48
Arunachal Pradesh 0.13
Assam 16.50
Bihar 24.24
Chandigarh 0.73
Chhattisgarh 57.82
Delhi 0.20
Goa 0.24
Gujarat 48.37
Haryana 27.44
HimachalPradesh 3.00
Jammu And Kashmir 15.45
Jharkhand 16.16
Karnataka 114.07
Kerala 39.59
Ladakh 0.32
Lakshadweep 0.02
Madhya Pradesh 56.53
Maharashtra 32.74
Manipur 2.52
Meghalaya 8.11
Mizoram 1.15
Nagaland 0.99
Odisha 10.45
Puducherry 1.52
Punjab 20.33
Rajasthan 70.13
Sikkim 0.35
Tamil Nadu 48.78
Telangana 24.10
Dadra andNagar Haveli & Damanand Diu 0.77
Tripura 4.34
Uttar Pradesh 71.88
Uttarakhand 13.52
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