India has significantly expanded healthcare coverage for senior citizens under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, with more than 93 lakh Ayushman Vay Vandana cards issued across all states and Union Territories as of December 2025. The Ayushman Vay Vandana initiative, introduced in October 2024, extends free health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per year to all citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
As of October 31, 2025, a total of 7.89 lakh hospital admissions worth ₹1,741 crore have been authorised under the Ayushman Vay Vandana category in implementing states and UTs. The scheme is designed to benefit around 6 crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families nationwide, ensuring access to secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation without any cap on family size, age or gender.
Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY remains the government’s flagship health insurance programme, offering ₹5 lakh annual cover per family to nearly 12 crore economically vulnerable families, representing the bottom 40% of India’s population.
To strengthen coverage, the scheme is continuously being expanded through the inclusion of new medical procedures, empanelment of additional hospitals, onboarding of new beneficiaries and other operational improvements based on emerging needs. The update was shared by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
