Ayushman Card: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
आयुष्मान भारत प्रधानमंत्री जन आरोग्य योजना
Quick answer
PM-JAY gives eligible families health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for hospitalisation, cashless at empanelled hospitals. Since October 2024 every citizen aged 70 or above qualifies regardless of income, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card.
इस पेज को हिन्दी में पढ़ें →हे पान मराठीत वाचा →
Researched by Mirza Seraj BaigFacts last checked against official sources on 12 September 2026- What you get
- Health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. Treatment is cashless and paperless at empanelled public and private hospitals, with no cap on family size or age. Senior citizens aged 70 and above in a family already covered receive an additional ₹5 lakh top-up for themselves.
- Who it is for
- Poor and vulnerable families identified through the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011); categories that states have added at their own cost; ASHA, Anganwadi workers and helpers and their families; and all senior citizens aged 70 and above regardless of income.
- Implemented by
- National Health Authority, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Coverage
- Central scheme — available across India
- Official portal
- beneficiary.nha.gov.in ↗
- Helpline
- 14555 (toll-free) · 1800 110 770 (missed call — Vay Vandana card information)
Ayushman card guides
Card download
Log in to the official beneficiary portal, beneficiary.nha.gov.in, with your mobile number, complete Aadhaar e-KYC, and download the card once it is approved. The Ayushman App does the same on a phone. People aged 70 or above can enrol for the Vay Vandana card through the same routes.
Hospital list
Your Ayushman card works only at empanelled hospitals. The official search lets you filter by state, district, hospital name and speciality — and shows which hospitals are suspended.
Eligibility
Eligibility rests on the 2011 SECC list, state additions, and — since October 2024 — age alone for anyone 70 or above. Here is how each route works and how to check yours in two minutes.
Latest Ayushman card updates
Ayushman Vay Vandana card launched for every citizen aged 70 and above
The Prime Minister launched the card on Dhanvantari Jayanti. Enrolment crossed 25 lakh in under two months. Senior citizens can enrol through the Ayushman app, the beneficiary portal or an empanelled hospital, and treatment is available from the first day with no waiting period.
Source: Enrolment for Ayushman Vay Vandana Cards reaches 25 lakh — Press Information Bureau
Cabinet approves ₹5 lakh cover for all senior citizens aged 70+, regardless of income
About 4.5 crore families with 6 crore senior citizens become eligible. Those in families already covered under PM-JAY receive an additional ₹5 lakh top-up for themselves, not shared with members below 70; all others get ₹5 lakh on a family basis.
Who is eligible for Ayushman card?
Poor and vulnerable families identified through the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011); categories that states have added at their own cost; ASHA, Anganwadi workers and helpers and their families; and all senior citizens aged 70 and above regardless of income.
- Families identified under the deprivation and occupational criteria of SECC 2011 for rural and urban areas.
- Every senior citizen aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income — enrolled through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card since 29 October 2024.
- ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers, along with their families, brought under the scheme in March 2024.
- Additional categories that individual states and UTs have included at their own cost — check your state list on the beneficiary portal.
- Step-by-step guide: Ayushman card eligibility: who qualifies, and the 70-plus rule
Which documents are required for Ayushman card?
Keep these 4 documents ready before you apply.
- Aadhaar card of the family member seeking the card
- Ration card or family identity document, to establish family membership
- Mobile number for OTP verification
- For the 70-plus card: Aadhaar showing age 70 or above; no income document is needed
How do you apply for Ayushman card?
Applying takes 4 steps, set out below. The official portal is beneficiary.nha.gov.in.
Check whether you are eligible
Open the official beneficiary portal and search using your mobile number, Aadhaar, ration card number or name to see whether your family is on the list. If you are 70 or above you qualify regardless of the list.
Log in as a beneficiary
Enter your mobile number, verify the OTP and the captcha, then select your state and a search method to locate your family record.
Complete e-KYC for each member
Select the family member and complete e-KYC using Aadhaar OTP or face authentication. Upload a photo if the portal asks for one.
Wait for approval and download the card
Once the e-KYC is approved, download the Ayushman card from the same portal or the Ayushman app. You can also get the process done at an empanelled hospital or a Common Service Centre.
Go to the official government portal ↗
- Step-by-step guide: Ayushman card download: make and download your card online
- Step-by-step guide: Ayushman card hospital list: find an empanelled hospital near you
How do you check your Ayushman card status?
Checking your status takes 3 steps, set out below.
Open the beneficiary portal
Go to beneficiary.nha.gov.in and log in with your mobile number and OTP.
Search for your family record
Select your state and search by Aadhaar, ration card, mobile number or name to see each member and their card status.
Download the approved card
Members showing an approved status have a downloadable Ayushman card. Members still pending show the stage their e-KYC has reached.
Why do Ayushman card applications get rejected, and how do you fix them?
Most rejections and stuck payments come down to a handful of record mismatches. Find yours below.
- Family not found on the beneficiary portal
- The base list is SECC 2011, so a family that was not on it in 2011 will not appear unless the state has added it. Search by every method — Aadhaar, ration card, name, family ID — and check your state's expanded categories. Anyone aged 70 or above qualifies regardless, through the Vay Vandana route.
- e-KYC stuck at pending
- Approval can take a few days. If it stays pending, the usual cause is a photo that does not match Aadhaar or a name and date-of-birth mismatch. Redo e-KYC with face authentication, or visit an empanelled hospital or CSC where the operator can complete it.
- Name or date of birth does not match Aadhaar
- The card is generated from Aadhaar. Get the Aadhaar record corrected first, then repeat e-KYC on the portal.
- Hospital says it is not empanelled
- Check the empanelled hospital search before admission, and check the suspended list — a hospital can be empanelled and still suspended. Choose another empanelled hospital; the cover works at any of them across India.
- Hospital asks you to pay
- Treatment for covered procedures at an empanelled hospital is cashless. Ask for the Ayushman Mitra help desk, and if the hospital still demands payment call the toll-free helpline 14555 to register a grievance.
Important links
All of these go to the official government portal. Bookmark them — copycat sites with similar names charge for what these do free.
| What you need | Official page |
|---|---|
| Am I eligible / e-KYC / download card The official beneficiary portal — OTP login | beneficiary.nha.gov.in ↗ |
| Find an empanelled hospital Search by state, district, hospital name or speciality | hospitals.pmjay.gov.in/Search ↗ |
| Suspended hospitals list Check before admission — suspended hospitals cannot treat under the scheme | hospitals.pmjay.gov.in/Search/empnlWorkFlow.htm?actionFlag=ViewSuspendedHospitals ↗ |
| Empanelled hospital list (PDF) | nha.gov.in/img/resources/PMJAY-Hospital-List.pdf ↗ |
| Senior citizen (70+) benefits — official FAQ | nha.gov.in/img/resources/English_FAQs_related_to_the_benefits_for_senior_citizens.pdf ↗ |
| About PM-JAY National Health Authority | nha.gov.in/PM-JAY ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
How much health cover does Ayushman Bharat give?
PM-JAY provides health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation at empanelled hospitals. Senior citizens aged 70 and above in a family already covered receive an additional ₹5 lakh top-up for themselves.
Who is eligible for an Ayushman card?
Families identified through the deprivation and occupational criteria of SECC 2011, categories added by individual states, ASHA and Anganwadi workers and their families, and every citizen aged 70 and above regardless of income.
Is there a fee for making an Ayushman card?
You can make the card yourself on the official beneficiary portal, beneficiary.nha.gov.in, or in the Ayushman App linked from it, and empanelled hospitals and Common Service Centres can help. We found no official notice setting a fee for the card. If anyone demands money for it, register a grievance on the toll-free helpline 14555.
How do you make an Ayushman card online? (Ayushman card kaise banta hai?)
Open beneficiary.nha.gov.in and check whether your family is listed (anyone aged 70 or above qualifies regardless). Log in with your mobile number and OTP, find your family record by state, complete e-KYC for each member with Aadhaar OTP or face authentication, and download the card once it is approved. The same process can be done at an empanelled hospital or a Common Service Centre.
Can senior citizens above 70 get PM-JAY if they are not poor?
Yes. Since 29 October 2024 every citizen aged 70 and above is eligible for ₹5 lakh cover regardless of income, through the Ayushman Vay Vandana card. There is no waiting period — treatment is available from the day of enrolment.
Is there an Ayushman Bharat helpline?
Yes. The national toll-free helpline is 14555. For information on the 70-plus Vay Vandana card you can also give a missed call on 1800 110 770.
Is there an age or family size limit under PM-JAY?
No. Within an eligible family there is no cap on family size or on the age of members covered.
Applying from your state
Ayushman card is a central scheme, so it is open in every state and union territory. Verification, and the state-issued documents you may be asked for, differ by state.