Arogya Manthan 2026 Marks Eight Years of AB PM-JAY and Five Years of ABDM

Arogya Manthan 2026 was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 25 September 2026 to mark eight years of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and five years of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The event was organised by the National Health Authority (NHA) and brought together stakeholders linked to India’s health assurance and digital health systems.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

AB PM-JAY was launched on 23 September 2018 as a centrally sponsored health assurance scheme. It provides health cover for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a cashless and paperless model at empanelled hospitals.

• AB PM-JAY has covered over 60 crore beneficiaries as of September 2026.
• The scheme has facilitated more than 13 crore hospital admissions.
• The total treatment value under the scheme has crossed ₹2 lakh crore.
• The scheme now includes all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of socio-economic status.
• ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and Anganwadi helpers are also covered under the expanded eligibility.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

ABDM was launched nationwide on 27 September 2021 to create a digital health ecosystem in India. The mission uses digital identifiers and interoperable records for health data management across facilities and platforms.

• More than 97.8 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs had been created by 1 September 2026.
• More than 121 crore health records were linked under ABDM by the same date.
• ABHA is a digital health ID used to store and access health records in a linked format.
• ABDM supports interoperability among hospitals, laboratories, insurers, and digital health applications.

New Digital Health Initiatives

Several digital tools were launched at Arogya Manthan 2026 for health administration and claims processing. These include the National Healthcare Providers Registry (NHPR) Mobile App, the NHCX Implementation Guide for Payers, a Guidebook for a Model Digital Health Facility, a Secure Data Environment (SDE) application, and a Framework for Auto-Adjudication of Claims under AB PM-JAY.

The Secure Data Environment was developed by the NHA with support from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. It is designed for health research, programme planning, and artificial intelligence applications with data protection safeguards.

Important Facts for Exams

• AB PM-JAY was launched on 23 September 2018 under Ayushman Bharat.
• ABDM was launched nationwide on 27 September 2021.
• ABHA stands for Ayushman Bharat Health Account.
• NHA stands for National Health Authority.

State and Union Territory Recognition

Jammu and Kashmir was recognised as the Best Performing Union Territory for the highest Ayushman Card saturation among frontline worker beneficiaries. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat were acknowledged for claim settlement in inter-State portability under AB PM-JAY.