Ayushman Bharat: Coverage, the 70+ expansion and the architecture
Health scheme questions test the architecture, the two pillars, the beneficiary criteria and the administering authority. Each is covered here.
The architecture
Ayushman Bharat has two pillars.
Health and Wellness Centres. Around 1.5 lakh of them, renamed and upgraded sub-centres and primary health centres, carry primary care.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). Provides ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation, covering the bottom roughly 40% of the population identified by SECC 2011 deprivation and occupational criteria.
The National Health Authority implements the scheme.
Source: National Health Authority: PM-JAY
The 2024 expansion
In September 2024, the scheme was extended to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of income. Roughly six crore additional beneficiaries, with a separate ₹5 lakh top-up per family. This is the most-asked recent update, and the exam tests its logic. It converts a deprivation-targeted scheme into one with a universal age-based layer.
The beneficiary logic
The distinction matters.
The original PM-JAY. Selects households by SECC deprivation, housing, occupation and inclusion criteria, not by income declaration.
The 70+ expansion. Drops the deprivation filter for seniors alone.
Questions exploit exactly this layering, which group is covered by which criterion, and whether the two layers share the same fund.
The exam's through-line
Two contrasts recur.
Ayushman Bharat versus PM-JAY. The umbrella scheme against its insurance arm. Conflating them is the classic trap.
Centre versus state schemes. Many states run their own top-ups, which PM-JAY coexists with rather than replaces.
Prelims traps
| Statement | True or False |
|---|---|
| "PM-JAY covers ₹5 lakh per family per year" | True |
| "The 70+ expansion is income-tested" | False. Universal for that age group |
| "The National Health Authority implements PM-JAY" | True |
| "Beneficiaries are identified by SECC 2011 criteria" | True |
Part of: Government Schemes, April to June 2026
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Source: National Health Authority; PIB.