PM-JAY Full Form: Ayushman Card, ₹5 Lakh Cover, Eligibility, 70+
Independent guide. We are not part of NHA or the Government, and we never ask for your Aadhaar, OTP or money for an Ayushman card.
PM-JAY stands for Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the government scheme behind the "Ayushman card". Eligible families get free, cashless hospital treatment worth up to ₹5 lakh per family per year at empanelled public and private hospitals anywhere in India. Every citizen aged 70 or above also qualifies, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card.
- Full form
- Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
- Run by
- National Health Authority (NHA) with State Health Agencies
- Cover
- Up to ₹5 lakh per family per year, hospital care only
- Cost to you
- Nothing. No premium, cashless at the hospital.
- Who
- About 12 crore poor and vulnerable families, plus everyone aged 70+
- Treatments
- 1,961 procedures in 27 specialities
- Hospitals
- Over 38,000 empanelled (31 Aug 2026)
- Launched
- 23 Sep 2018, Ranchi
- Helpline
- 14555 (24×7, toll-free)
What is PM-JAY?
PM-JAY is one of the pillars of Ayushman Bharat. It pays for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation of eligible people, so a family does not have to borrow or sell assets for an operation or a serious illness. The government calls it health assurance: it is fully funded by the Centre and States, and you pay no premium.
- ₹5 lakh per family per year. The cover is shared by the family; it is not ₹5 lakh per person.
- No limits on family size, age or gender. Every member of an eligible family is covered.
- Pre-existing diseases are covered from day one. There is no waiting period.
- Cashless and paperless. The scheme pays the hospital directly; no money is given to you.
- Portable. You can be treated at any empanelled hospital in any state that runs the scheme.
The Ayushman card is not the same as the ABHA health ID. ABHA only links your health records and gives no free treatment. See our ABHA vs Ayushman card comparison.
Who is eligible, and how to get the card
You cannot apply to join. A family is eligible only if it is already on the list, which was built mainly from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011, plus families from the older RSBY scheme.
| Group | Who is included |
|---|---|
| Rural: automatically included | Households without shelter; destitute or living on alms; manual scavenger families; primitive tribal groups; legally released bonded labourers |
| Rural: deprivation criteria | Any one of: only one room with kucha walls and roof (D1); no adult aged 16–59 (D2); female-headed with no adult male aged 16–59 (D3); a disabled member and no able-bodied adult (D4); Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe household (D5); landless, living mainly on manual casual labour (D7) |
| Urban: 11 occupations | Ragpicker; beggar; domestic worker; street vendor, cobbler or hawker; construction worker, plumber, mason, painter, welder, security guard or head-load worker; sweeper, sanitation worker or mali; home-based worker, artisan or tailor; transport worker, driver, conductor or rickshaw puller; shop worker, peon, delivery assistant or waiter; electrician, mechanic or repair worker; washerman or chowkidar |
| Added later | Families of ASHA workers, anganwadi workers and helpers (2024); and groups under other central initiatives, such as registered construction workers, some road-accident victims, transgender persons, children orphaned by COVID-19, waste pickers and sanitation workers, and particularly vulnerable tribal groups |
| State lists | Many states and union territories cover extra families at their own cost under their own linked schemes. Your state's list decides. |
Check if you are eligible on the official beneficiary portal. The screens below are an illustration.
Get the card any time of the year, in one of three ways:
- Yourself, in the Ayushman app (Android, Google Play) or on beneficiary.nha.gov.in, using Aadhaar OTP, face, iris or fingerprint authentication.
- At the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC).
- At an empanelled hospital's Ayushman help desk.
Not on the list? Nobody can add you for a fee. Ask your district's scheme office or call 14555 about any state scheme you may qualify for.
Since 29 Oct 2024, every citizen aged 70 or above can get the Ayushman Vay Vandana card, whatever their income. Age is taken from Aadhaar.
| Your situation | What you get |
|---|---|
| Family not under PM-JAY | ₹5 lakh a year on a family basis. Two seniors in one family (say husband and wife) share that ₹5 lakh. |
| Family already under PM-JAY | An extra top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year for the senior alone; the rest of the family keeps its own ₹5 lakh. The senior must redo Aadhaar e-KYC. |
| Have private health insurance or ESI | Still eligible. |
| Covered by CGHS, ECHS or Ayushman CAPF | Choose one scheme. If you give up the old scheme for PM-JAY, you cannot switch back. |
- Only document: Aadhaar. Aadhaar e-KYC is compulsory.
- Only the birth year on Aadhaar? Your date of birth is taken as 1 January of the next year.
- Where: the Ayushman app, beneficiary.nha.gov.in, or any empanelled hospital. After enrolling one senior, add another aged 70+ with "Add Member".
- Treatment starts the day you enrol. No waiting period.
- Questions: call 14555 or give a missed call on 1800110770.
Using the card at a hospital
- Find an empanelled hospital on the official hospital search (filter by state, district and speciality) or in the Aarogya Setu app. All government hospitals with in-patient beds in a participating state are empanelled automatically; private hospitals join voluntarily.
- Go to the Ayushman help desk. Each empanelled hospital has trained staff called Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras who guide you through admission.
- Carry your Ayushman card or Aadhaar. If you are eligible but have no card yet, the desk can make one.
- Do not pay for covered treatment. The hospital takes approval from the scheme and bills it, not you.
What is covered and what isn't
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Hospital admission and day-care surgery under 1,961 listed procedures, such as cataract, angioplasty, knee replacement, dialysis, cancer care and high-risk delivery | Out-patient (OPD) visits that do not lead to admission: the scheme covers in-patient treatment only |
| Up to 3 days before admission: consultation, tests and medicines at the same hospital, for the same illness | Treatment at a hospital that is not empanelled |
| Up to 15 days after discharge: tests and medicines for the same illness | Anything above the family's ₹5 lakh for that year |
| Medicines, implants, food and stay during admission | Procedures outside the scheme's package list |
For check-ups, medicines and minor illness without admission, use a government Ayushman Arogya Mandir health centre, which gives primary care and essential medicines free.
Treatment in another state
Your card works at empanelled hospitals across India, not just in your home state. By September 2024, 11.9 lakh hospital stays had been approved under this portability. Delhi and Odisha joined the scheme in 2025; before travelling for treatment, use the hospital search to confirm the hospital and state are listed.
Complaints and help
An empanelled hospital cannot refuse treatment to an eligible beneficiary. If it does, or asks you to pay for covered care:
| Channel | How |
|---|---|
| Helpline | 14555, toll-free, 24×7 (national and state call centres) |
| Grievance portal | cgrms.pmjay.gov.in (CGRMS): Register Your Grievance, then Track Your Grievance |
| State Health Agency | Email or letter to your state's scheme agency |
Complaints go through a three-tier system with nodal officers and grievance committees at district, state and national level. Keep your bills and discharge papers to support your complaint.
Fraud warnings
Eligibility cannot be bought. Anyone who promises to "add your name" or "activate ₹5 lakh" for money is cheating you. The scheme has no premium.
- Use only beneficiary.nha.gov.in, pmjay.gov.in, nha.gov.in, the official Ayushman app, a CSC or a hospital's Ayushman desk. Look-alike websites and apps are not official.
- Never share your Aadhaar OTP with a caller. Card staff verify you in person or through the app.
- A hospital asking for cash for a covered package, or a card "used" for treatment you never had: call 14555. NHA and the states run anti-fraud units.
- Lost money or were cheated online? Call 1930 or report on cybercrime.gov.in.
History of PM-JAY
Launched in Ranchi for about 10.74 crore families identified from SECC 2011.
Beneficiary base revised to 12 crore families; states allowed to use other similar databases.
About 37 lakh ASHA and anganwadi workers' and helpers' families added.
Ayushman Vay Vandana card launched for all citizens aged 70+.
Delhi and Odisha joined the scheme.
Over 48.51 crore people hold Ayushman cards, including 1.36 crore seniors with Vay Vandana cards.
FAQs
What is the full form of PM-JAY?
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, officially Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). Its card is called the Ayushman card.
Is the ₹5 lakh per person or per family?
Per family per year, shared by all members. The only exception is the extra top-up of up to ₹5 lakh for a senior aged 70+ in a family already under the scheme.
Do I need the Ayushman card to get treatment?
Eligibility comes from the list, not the card, and the hospital's Ayushman desk can make a card for an eligible person on the spot. Getting it in advance saves time.
Does PM-JAY pay for doctor visits and medicines without admission?
No. It covers in-patient treatment, plus tests and medicines up to 3 days before admission and 15 days after discharge for the same illness.
Are old illnesses covered?
Yes. All pre-existing conditions are covered from the first day, with no waiting period.
My parents are over 70 and have private insurance. Can they enrol?
Yes. Private insurance and ESI do not stop them. Only those under CGHS, ECHS or Ayushman CAPF must choose one scheme.
Is ABHA the same as the Ayushman card?
No. ABHA is a free health ID for your records and gives no treatment cover. See the ABHA guide.
The hospital asked me to pay. What should I do?
Ask the Arogya Mitra whether the treatment is under a scheme package. If you are still asked to pay for covered treatment, call 14555 or file on the CGRMS portal, and keep the bills.
Official sources
- PIB – Progressing Towards Universal Health Coverage (eligibility criteria, 1,961 procedures, 38,000+ hospitals, 48.51 crore cardholders), 22 Sep 2026 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Transforming Healthcare: Six Years of AB PM-JAY (3/15 days, day-one cover, portability), 23 Sep 2024 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – AB PM-JAY to be launched on 23 Sep 2018 (Arogya Mitras, pre-authorisation) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Empanelled hospitals rise to 36,229; grievances, claim timelines, 23 Mar 2026 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Update on AB PM-JAY (12 crore families, three-tier grievances), 28 Mar 2025 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Ayushman cards: Ayushman app, CSC or empanelled hospital, 2 Aug 2024 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – AB PM-JAY: in-patient treatment only, eligibility criteria, 23 Jul 2021 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Enrolment for Ayushman Vay Vandana cards reaches 25 lakh, 9 Dec 2024 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- NHA – FAQs on benefits for senior citizens under AB PM-JAY (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- MoHFW – Initiatives and Achievements 2025 (Ayushman app, Delhi and Odisha) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Aarogya Setu 2.0 launched, with PM-JAY hospital search, 29 Jun 2026 (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- NHA – Beneficiary portal (eligibility, e-KYC, card download) (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- NHA – Empanelled hospital search (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
- NHA – Central Grievance Redressal and Management System (accessed 31 Oct 2026)
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