PMJAY for 70+ group meets 3% of target in first month

In September, the Union government announced the fine print of the much-awaited Ayushman Bharat 2.0 scheme that aims to cover everyone over the age of 70 years irrespective of income level.

- SANKET KOUL

What stood out in the announcement was 60 million—that was the Centre's estimate of beneficiaries under the health assurance plan for the 70 plus universe. The scheme got operational in October. A month later, the number of takers is just 3 per cent of the estimated target group.

According to the data with the National Health Authority (NHA), till the evening of November 28, around 1.87 million people who are 70 and above have registered with the expanded Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). States show varying rates of progress. Although the government has not provided any timeframe to reach the 60 million target, the pace seems to have become a cause of concern in a country which is greying rapidly. According to the last Census in 2011, the 70 plus category (39.7 million) formed 3.3 per cent of the total 1.2 billion population. Estimates now suggest the 70 plus universe (60 million) at 4.1 per cent of the total estimated population of 1.45 billion.