Thu Apr 10 20:40:52 UTC 2025: ## Delhi Launches Ayushman Bharat Scheme, Providing Health Coverage to 6.5 Lakh Families
**NEW DELHI, April 11, 2025** – The Delhi government officially launched the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme today, distributing the first 30 Ayushman cards at an event in Vigyan Bhawan. The scheme, a collaboration between the Delhi government and the Centre, provides ₹5 lakh health cover per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 6.5 lakh families. The Delhi government has pledged an additional ₹5 lakh per family from its own funds.
The launch follows a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Delhi and central governments. A second MoU was also signed for the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), which will invest ₹1,749 crore in developing health infrastructure, including 1,139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs), 11 integrated public health laboratories, and nine critical care blocks. Existing Mohalla Clinics will be upgraded to AAMs. The AAMs will offer expanded services such as cancer screenings and yoga classes, according to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
The scheme extends coverage to ASHA workers, anganwadi workers, and anganwadi helpers. Beneficiaries expressed relief at finally having access to hospital care, previously unaffordable for many. Currently, 46 private hospitals are empaneled in Delhi, with training underway for healthcare workers to assist with registration.
While the launch was celebrated by the Delhi government, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticized the scheme, calling it a “scam” due to its ₹10 lakh cap on medical coverage, unlike the previous AAP government’s unlimited free treatment policy. The AAP also noted that outpatient department (OPD) facilities are not covered under the new scheme. With Delhi’s inclusion, only West Bengal remains without implementation of the PM-JAY scheme nationwide.
First Piper 