West Bengal on Monday became the 36th state to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
The National Health Authority (NHA) and the West Bengal government signed an MoU for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY in the state.
The scheme was implemented in West Bengal from September 23, 2018, to January 10, 2019. West Bengal withdrew from the scheme in January 2019.
The funding model required cost-sharing between the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio, except in the Himalayan and North Eastern states, where it was 90:10.
Odisha and Delhi, which, under the Modi BJP governments, stayed out of the scheme, opted into it after the regime in 2024 and 2025.
The friction between West Bengal and the Centre began in 2019, when the government’s insurance scheme was rechristened as Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), with the then chief minister Mamta Banerjee arguing that the Centre should not take the sole credit for the scheme.
With the state now opting into the scheme, Union Health Minister JP Nadda called it a historic moment not only for West Bengal but also for the country’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage.
The Union Health Minister highlighted that beneficiaries under the scheme have availed over 12 crore treatments worth more than Rs 1.82 lakh crore, providing substantial financial protection to poor and vulnerable families.
He noted that one of the most significant outcomes of the Government’s efforts has been the reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare, which has declined from 64.6% before 2018 to 43.4% today.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari noted that under the National Health Mission (NHM), the Centre has released Rs 527 crore to the state.
Adhikari stated that approximately 1.24 crore eligible families in the State will now be able to avail health coverage under the scheme. ensuring greater financial protection and access to quality healthcare services.
“If ASHAs, Aanganwadi Workers and senior citizens are included, the total number of beneficiary families will go up to 1.43 crore,” he further added.
