Ayushman Bharat Cards under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) offer Rs 5 lakh health insurance coverage to the economically weaker section of people listed in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011. This central government scheme was launched in Delhi on April 10, 2025, to benefit approximately 36 lakh people from 6.5 lakh families. The beneficiaries include around six lakh senior citizens aged 70 years or above. However, in Delhi, the beneficiaries of the scheme can avail of Rs 10 lakh insurance coverage, including Rs 5 lakh coverage provided by the Delhi government. By mid-April, the Delhi government had issued around 1.69 lakh Ayushman Cards. This number has now reached 3.45 lakh cards, including both PM-JAY and Ayushman Vay Vandana cards.
Of the total cards issued so far, 1.67 lakh (1,66,841) cards have been issued under the Vay Vandana Yojana, which is for seniors aged 70 and above. More than one lakh (1,24,215 cards) have been issued against self-registration, 42,276 cards to those registered through the common service centres (CSCs), and the remaining 11,284 cards have been issued to those registered by the beneficiary identification system (BIS) operator.
A total of 85 hospitals are now empanelled under the scheme which offers nearly 2000 medical procedures, according to the PTI report. The empanelled hospitals include 25 government and 65 private hospitals. The eligible beneficiaries can avail of the scheme's benefit from any of the empanelled hospitals in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT of Delhi) or across India.
To learn how to register under the scheme, please read here.
What Are The Eligibility Criteria For The Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?
• The senior citizen must be 70 years and above
• The applicant must be a resident of Delhi and possess an Aadhaar card with valid credentials
• The Vay Vandana Yojana is available to all seniors irrespective of their income or their family's income
• If a senior already has insurance coverage from a private insurance company, it will not affect the eligibility to be covered under the Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana
• Those who are retired and covered under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), or Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) can opt to remain covered under their existing scheme or switch to Ayushman Bharat Yojana
In addition to this, 30 new Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs (Health and wellness centres) will be ready by the end of this month.
In April this year, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, shared the government's plan to open 1,139 Arogya Mandirs across the city. This initiative aims to make primary healthcare, including preventive, rehabilitative, and palliative care, more accessible for beneficiaries. She said that 14-15 healthcare centres would be opened in each assembly constituency and asked district magistrates to identify the sites for these centres.
