What is Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card that provides free hospital treatment for all senior citizens above 70 years?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched health insurance coverage for all senior citizens aged 70 and above, without considering their income, as part of the flagship initiative Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

Ayushman Bharat for Senior Citizens

Regardless of their financial status or income, all people 70 years of age and above are eligible for free health coverage up to Rs 5 lakh annually under this expanded scheme.

Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana Card for senior citizens above 70 years: How to enroll to get Rs 5 lakh health insurance


While making this announcement PM Modi also made a significant step by establishing the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card as part of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

PMJAY: PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance scheme for senior citizens above 70 years

The program aims to provide senior citizens with access to quality healthcare because many of them have experienced costly medical treatment.

What is Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card?

Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card is universal and there is no restriction on income, be it poor or middle class or upper class.

According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) post on social media, “Now, every senior citizen above the age of 70 will receive free treatment in hospitals. These senior citizens will be issued the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card. This scheme is expected to be a milestone. If an elderly person in the household has the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card, family expenses will be reduced, and their worries will also diminish.”

Ayushman Bharat health insurance cover for senior citizens above 70 years: Find eligible Ayushman Bharat hospital list near you

"Expressing satisfaction on the expansion of Ayushman Yojana, Shri Modi said that every elderly person was looking forward to it and the poll guarantee, if elected for the third term, of bringing all the elderly above 70 years of age under the ambit of Ayushman Yojana was being fulfilled. He added that every elderly person above 70 years of age in the country will get free treatment in the hospital by a Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card. Shri Modi highlighted that the card was universal and there was no restriction on income, be it poor or middle class or upper class. Informing that the scheme would prove to be a milestone for its universal applicability, Shri Modi remarked that with a Ayushman Vaya Vandana card for an elderly in the house, the Out-of-Pocket expenditure will be reduced to a great extent. He congratulated all the countrymen for this scheme and also informed that the scheme was not implemented in Delhi and West Bengal," stated a PIB release issued on October 29, 2024.

How to apply for Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card?

According to news reports, beneficiaries are required to register on the PM-JAY portal to obtain the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card. They must also complete an eKYC process to activate their cards, even if they already possess an Ayushman card. Completing this eKYC process is essential for activating the new card.

Ayushman Bharat card: Who are already covered under the scheme

The senior citizens of the age 70 years and above belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY will get an additional top-up cover upto Rs 5 lakh per year for themselves (which they do not have to share with the other members of the family who are below the age of 70 years).

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

PMJAY aims to provide health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries corresponding to 12.34 crore families constituting the bottom 40% of India’s population. Eligible beneficiaries can avail of cashless and paperless healthcare services related to hospitalization across more than 29,000 empanelled hospitals in the country.

The National Health Authority has released a fresh set of FAQs on Ayushman Bharat:

How many senior citizens are aged 70 years or above in India?
Answer: Approximately 6 crore senior citizens, belonging to around 4.5 crore families, are aged 70 or above in India.

What are the eligibility criteria for senior citizens under this scheme?
Answer: The only eligibility criterion is that the individual must be aged 70 years or above, as determined by the age recorded in their Aadhaar card, regardless of economic status.

Is Aadhaar mandatory for enrolment in the scheme?
Answer: Yes, Aadhaar-based e-KYC is mandatory for the enrolment and issuance of Ayushman cards for eligible senior citizens.

What documents are required to enrol in the AB PMJAY Senior Citizen Scheme?
Answer: Aadhaar is the only document needed for enrolment in the AB PMJAY Senior Citizen Scheme.

If only the birth year is mentioned in Aadhaar, how is the date of birth determined?
Answer: If only the birth year is recorded in Aadhaar, January 1st of the year following the
recorded birth year will be considered as the date of birth.