The Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is a healthcare initiative by the Government that provides healthcare coverage to economically vulnerable families. The scheme offers a special Ayushman card to beneficiaries to allow them to get cashless and paperless access to healthcare services at empaneled hospitals across India.
There are certain eligibility criteria that must be met to get an Ayushman card. This is important as it ensures the benefits reach the intended beneficiaries of the population. The criteria helps to identify and include the deprivation criteria, most disadvantaged and marginalised households, ensuring that healthcare resources are directed towards people who need them the most.
As of 26th May 2024, there have been over 34,45,99,343 Ayushman cards issued to various families.
Understanding Ayushman Bharat Yojana
The Ayushman Bharat Yojana or PMJAY provides a health coverage of ₹5 lakhs in a year to one family and they will receive hospitalisation and after hospitalisation care from various public and private empaneled hospitals.
The scheme offers healthcare benefits to various families in rural and urban areas on the basis of occupation, income limit, housing situation and Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data. The scheme offers special provisions to vulnerable groups of society such as those falling under the SC/ST category, differently abled individuals and other well deserved beneficiaries.
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Ayushman Card Eligibility For Rural Areas
The Government has established certain eligibility criteria for people or families in the rural areas to ensure that the scheme’s benefits reach the right beneficiaries. These criteria are set to make sure that economically vulnerable groups that get limited access to adequate healthcare will get proper medical assistance when required. Here are the eligibility criteria for rural areas:
Eligibility for Families in Rural Areas:
- Families living in a single room with kutcha walls and a roof.
- Households without adult members aged between 16 and 59.
- Female-headed households without an adult male member aged between 16 and 59.
- Families with at least one disabled member and no able-bodied adult member.
- Households belonging to SC/ST categories.
- Landless households that are primarily earning from manual casual labour.
Eligibility Under Deprivation Criteria:
- Families without any adult member who is literate or has completed 10 years of education.
- Households with no adult member gainfully employed in a government or private sector job, or self-employed.
- Families without any adult member owning a motorised 2/3/4 wheeler or mechanised farming equipment.
- Households without any member owning a refrigerator.
- Families without any member owning a landline or mobile phone.
Ayushman Card Eligibility For Urban Areas
The Ayushman Bharat Yojana also establishes specific eligibility criteria for those in the urban areas. These criteria are based on occupational and socio-economic factors of urban populations with vulnerabilities and needs. By identifying households that lack stable employment, adequate housing, and essential amenities, the scheme is able to provide comprehensive health coverage to them.
Here are the Ayushman Bharat eligibility criteria for urban areas:
- Families residing in single-room makeshift houses with inadequate walls or roofs.
- Families living in dilapidated structures.
- Households without adult members between the ages of 16 and 59.
- Female-headed households with no adult male members aged 16 to 59.
- Families with disabled members and no able-bodied adult members.
- Households relying on alms for survival.
- Families engaged in manual scavenging.
- Primitive tribal groups.
- Homeless households.
Occupation based eligibility in urban areas:
- Ragpickers
- Beggars
- Domestic workers
- Washermen/Chowkidars
- Sanitation workers, gardeners, and sweepers
- Home-based artisans, handicraft workers, and tailors
- Mechanics, electricians, and repair workers
- Plumbers, construction workers, masons, porters, welders, painters, and security guards.
- Assistants, peons in small organisations, delivery boys, shopkeepers, and waiters.
- Transport workers such as drivers, helpers, cart pullers, rickshaw pullers, and conductors.
- Cobblers, hawkers, and individuals providing services by working on streets or pavements.
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Steps to Check PMJAY Eligibility Criteria Online
To know if you are eligible for the Ayushman Bharat scheme, you can check pmjay.gov.in, the official website for the scheme. Given below are the steps you can follow:
Step 1. Visit the official Ayushman Bharat Yojana website – https://pmjay.gov.in/
Step 2. Click on the ‘Am I Eligible’ tab on the top of the homepage.
Step 3. Click on the beneficiary option then enter your mobile number and verify. After verification, you can click the authentication mode by clicking the “Generate OTP”.
Step 4. Enter the OTP received on your mobile number and click the “Verify OTP” button.
Step 5. Provide basic details such as your name, State, age, family members, and income on the next page.
Step 6. Click the “Submit” button after filling in all the details to check your eligibility.
Step 7. A list of names will appear, and you can check for your name among the list.
Steps to Check Ayushman Eligibility Criteria Offline
To check your eligibility for ayushman card offline, you can visit the Common Service Centers (CSCs) or call the Ayushman helpline. Common Service Centers (CSCs) are government-operated service centres that provide a range of citizen-centric services. Here’s the steps for Ayushman Bharat Card eligibility checks:
Step 1. Find a CSC near you by searching online or visiting the official CSC website: csc.gov.in.
Step 2. Go to your nearest CSC and inform them that you want to check your Ayushman Bharat Card eligibility.
Step 3. Give your CSC operator your name, address, or Ration Card details for verification.
Step 4. The CSC operator will help you check your eligibility status through the official online portal or their internal system.
Individuals Not Eligible For PMJAY
To make things transparent, the PMJAY makes it clear about who are not eligible for the scheme, these are:
- Families with automated farming equipment.
- Families who own two, three, or four-wheelers vehicles.
- Holders of a Kisan card.
- Government sector employees.
- Owners of motorised fishing boats.
- Families with members who earn more than ₹10,000 per month.
- Employees of government-operated non-agricultural enterprises.
- Landowners with more than 5 acres of agricultural land.
- Families owning refrigerators or landlines.
- Residents of properly constructed houses.
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Check more on the Ayushman Bharat Scheme from the links below:
| Apply for Ayushman Card | Create Ayushman Health Account |
| PMJAY Ayushman Bharat Beneficiary List | Ayushman Card Status Check |
| Benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojana | Ayushman Card for Senior Citizens |
| Ayushman Mitra Registration | Difference Between ABHA & Ayushman Card |
| Ayushman Card Helpline Number | – |
