Who is Eligible for Ayushman Bharat?

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The eligibility criteria of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) are determined basically based on the data of Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011), which includes various deprivation categories, ranging from rural households living in single-room mud houses to urban households such as domestic workers.


Let us explore the eligibility criteria in detail, divided into two different segments for better understanding.


Eligibility Criteria for Rural Beneficiaries


The Indian government designed a total of seven deprivation criteria for AB PM-JAY for rural areas. If a family belongs to any of the below-mentioned six deprivation criteria and automatic inclusion (such as tribal groups, high-risk and economically vulnerable families, etc. ) criteria, they can avail this government-backed health benefit:



  1. Houses with only one room, whose terraces and walls are composed of mud or other non-durable materials.



  1. Households that have no adult member (age criteria 16 to 59).



  1. Families that don’t have one adult male member (age criteria 16 to 59).



  1. Households belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.



  1. Families with a disabled member and without a physically able adult who can work and support the family financially.



  1. Landless families that are primarily dependent on the income from manual casual labour.


Eligibility Criteria for Urban Beneficiaries


Here are 11 types of urban workers mentioned who are eligible for this government-backed scheme:



  1. Beggar



  1. Domestic workers



  1. Service providers who are running their profession on the streets (like vegetable or fruit vendors, cobblers, etc.)



  1. Ragpickers



  1. Workers who work from their homes (including artisans, workers involved in making handicrafts, and tailors)



  1. Washer-man or Chowkidar



  1. Electrician (whom you call a mechanic, assembler or repair worker)



  1. Transport workers (they include drivers, bus conductors, even the helpers to drivers and conductors, rickshaw pullers, etc.)



  1. Sanitation workers, such as sweepers



  1. Construction workers (they include plumbers, wall painters, welders, and daily wage workers carrying loads



  1. Shop workers (it refers to assistants in small stores or shops, attendants, waiters, etc.)


Exclusions from AB PM-JAY


People who are not eligible for AB PM-JAY include:



  1. Individuals who have at least one bike, cycle, scooter, or car



  1. People who live in a well-structured house



  1. People who own state-of-the-art farming equipment



  1. Individuals who own Kisan cards with a Rs. 50,000 credit limit



  1. Persons who have at least 5 acres of farming land



  1. People who have refrigerators and a landline phone connection



  1. Government employees



  1. Individuals who work in government-sponsored non-agricultural enterprises.



  1. Persons whose monthly income is more than Rs. 10,000


Basically, this flagship initiative taken by the Indian Government is designed to provide health coverage of Rs. 5,00,000 per family per year to more than 10.74 crores poor and vulnerable Indian families.