Interim Budget: Ayushman Bharat cover to be extended to all ASHA workers

Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana was launched in 2018 and provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to over 500 million beneficiaries

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Interim Budget: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Thursday the extension of health coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme to all Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers.

During her Budget speech, Sitharaman said, "Healthcare cover under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will be extended to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and helpers."

An ASHA worker is a community health worker employed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) as a part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). This mission began in 2005. An Anganwadi worker, on the other hand, is a functionary of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in charge of managing the Anganwadis.

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Ayushman Bharat, a flagship scheme of the government of India, was launched as recommended by the National Health Policy 2017, to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This initiative has been designed to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its commitment to "leave no one behind."

The Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was launched in 2018 and provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to the over 500 million beneficiaries. It is said to be "the "world's largest government-funded healthcare program".

PMJAY provides cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiary at the point of service. The budget allocated for Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY for the financial year 2023-24 was Rs 7,200 crore.

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