Ayushman Vay Vandana completed two years on 29 October 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched it on 29 October 2024.
It extends the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to every citizen aged 70 and above, irrespective of socio-economic status. Before it, PM-JAY covered only poorer families. With Vay Vandana, eligibility for this age group depends on age alone, not on income or occupation.
The scheme is implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It covers about 6 crore senior citizens in about 4.5 crore families.
The two-year figures released by the Ministry show what the elderly actually use it for, and that is the most useful part of the news for an exam.
How the cover works
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who is eligible | Every citizen aged 70 or above, with no income test |
| Cover | Up to ₹5 lakh a year, on a family basis, for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation |
| Families already in PM-JAY | An additional top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year, only for members aged 70+, separate from the family's existing cover |
| Families not in PM-JAY | A new cover of up to ₹5 lakh a year, shared among the family's members aged 70+ |
| Treatment | Cashless at empanelled public and private hospitals |
| Government schemes | Members of CGHS, ECHS and CAPF health schemes may keep their scheme or opt for PM-JAY |
| Private insurance or ESI | People with private health insurance or under the Employees' State Insurance scheme are also eligible |
The Cabinet approved the extension on 11 September 2024.
The top-up rule is important. In a poor family already covered by PM-JAY, an elderly person's hospital bill would earlier have used up cover meant for the whole family. Vay Vandana gives such seniors a separate ₹5 lakh, so the rest of the family's cover is protected.
Two years in numbers
As on 20 October 2026:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Authorised hospital admissions | 23.46 lakh |
| Value of these admissions | ₹5,668.80 crore |
| Most frequent procedure | Cataract surgery: 4.71 lakh, about 20.1% of all treatments |
| Second most frequent | Chronic haemodialysis: about 2.90 lakh |
| Largest by value | Coronary angioplasty (PTCA): about ₹649 crore |
| Other leading treatments | Total knee replacement; acute exacerbation of COPD; acute febrile illness; acute kidney injury and renal failure |
What the figures show
1. The elderly use the scheme for chronic and age-related conditions. Cataract, kidney failure, heart disease, worn knee joints and chronic lung disease (COPD) all become more common with age. The list reads like a summary of the health problems of old age.
2. Eye care had been neglected. Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in India, and the operation is simple and effective. That one-fifth of all treatments are cataract surgeries suggests many elderly people had been putting the operation off because of cost.
3. Dialysis means repeated use. Chronic haemodialysis must be done two or three times a week. Its high count shows that many beneficiaries are using the scheme for continuing care, not just one-off emergencies.
4. The average admission is modest. Dividing the total value by the number of admissions gives about ₹24,000 per admission. Most treatments are routine procedures. The large sums go to a smaller number of complex cases, such as cardiac angioplasty.
Why the elderly needed a separate rule
India is ageing fast
The India Ageing Report 2023, prepared by UNFPA with the International Institute for Population Sciences, gives the scale:
- In 2022, about 149 million Indians were aged 60 or above, about 10.5% of the population.
- By 2050, this is projected to rise to about 347 million, or 20.8%.
- By about 2046, the elderly may outnumber children under 15.
Health costs fall on families
India's health spending has long been paid largely by households themselves, as out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE). According to the National Health Accounts, OOPE fell to 39.4% of total health expenditure in 2021-22, from 62.6% in 2014-15. The government's share rose to about 48%.
The elderly are the most exposed to such costs. They fall ill more often, need longer treatment, and many have no regular income. An age-based entitlement that ignores income addresses that risk directly.
Where Vay Vandana fits in Ayushman Bharat
Ayushman Bharat was launched in 2018 with two pillars:
| Pillar | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (earlier Health and Wellness Centres) | Primary care: screening, common illnesses, maternal and child care, close to home |
| PM-JAY (launched 23 September 2018 at Ranchi) | Hospital care: up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary treatment |
PM-JAY was originally meant for poor and vulnerable families identified from the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011, and it now covers about 55 crore people. Vay Vandana adds a third basis of eligibility, age, alongside poverty and occupation.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which gives each person a digital health ID (ABHA), links records across these programmes. We explained it in our article on India's digital health stack.
Who pays, and why the States matter
Health is a State List subject: Entry 6 of List II covers "public health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries". PM-JAY is therefore a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, run by the States with costs shared with the Centre, and its reach depends on each State's participation. The general pattern is 60:40 between the Centre and the States, 90:10 for the North-Eastern and Himalayan States, and full Central funding for Union Territories without a legislature.
The constitutional and legal basis
Care for the elderly appears in several places in Indian law:
- Article 41 (a Directive Principle): the State shall, within its economic capacity, make effective provision for public assistance in old age, sickness and disablement.
- Article 47 (a Directive Principle): improving public health is among the State's primary duties.
- The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007: makes it a legal duty of children and relatives to maintain senior citizens, enforced through Maintenance Tribunals.
- The National Policy on Older Persons, 1999.
Directive Principles are not enforceable in court, but they guide policy. Vay Vandana is an example of the State acting on Article 41. Our notes on the Directive Principles of State Policy set out the full list.
For the elderly who need shelter and care rather than hospital treatment, the main scheme is the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana, explained in our article on India's ageing policy.
What the scheme does not cover
Vay Vandana is an insurance for hospitalisation. It does not pay for outpatient consultations or for medicines bought outside hospital. For many elderly people with diabetes, high blood pressure or arthritis, regular medicines and doctor's visits are the largest health cost. Those are meant to be handled at the primary level, through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and generic medicine stores such as Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
The scheme also works only where there are empanelled hospitals. In districts with few hospitals, an elderly patient may have a card but still need to travel far for treatment.
🔑 Revision block
The event. Ayushman Vay Vandana completed two years on 29 October 2026; launched by the PM on 29 October 2024; Cabinet approval 11 September 2024; implemented by the National Health Authority.
Eligibility. Every citizen aged 70+, irrespective of income; about 6 crore people in 4.5 crore families.
Cover. Up to ₹5 lakh a year, family basis, secondary and tertiary hospitalisation, cashless; separate top-up of ₹5 lakh for 70+ members of families already in PM-JAY; CGHS, ECHS, CAPF members choose; private insurance and ESI holders eligible.
Two-year record (20 October 2026). 23.46 lakh admissions; ₹5,668.80 crore; cataract 4.71 lakh (20.1%); haemodialysis 2.90 lakh; PTCA ₹649 crore, the largest by value; about ₹24,000 per admission.
Ageing. 149 million aged 60+ in 2022 (10.5%) → 347 million (20.8%) by 2050 (India Ageing Report 2023, UNFPA-IIPS).
Health spending. OOPE 39.4% of total health expenditure in 2021-22, down from 62.6% in 2014-15.
Framework. Ayushman Bharat 2018: Ayushman Arogya Mandirs + PM-JAY (Ranchi, 23 September 2018); health in the State List (Entry 6); Articles 41 and 47; Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. Ayushman Vay Vandana extends health cover under AB PM-JAY to citizens aged: (a) 60 and above, below the poverty line (b) 65 and above, in rural areas (c) 70 and above, irrespective of income (d) 80 and above, without pensions
→ (c) Eligibility depends on age alone.
Q2. Which body implements Ayushman Vay Vandana and AB PM-JAY? (a) National Health Authority (b) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (c) Indian Council of Medical Research (d) Employees' State Insurance Corporation
→ (a) The NHA works under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Q3. In the first two years of Ayushman Vay Vandana, the most frequently availed treatment was: (a) coronary angioplasty (b) knee replacement (c) haemodialysis (d) cataract surgery
→ (d) Angioplasty accounted for the largest value, about ₹649 crore.
Q4. Consider the following statements: 1. A senior citizen covered under CGHS may opt for AB PM-JAY instead of the existing scheme. 2. People with private health insurance are excluded from Ayushman Vay Vandana. Which is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (a) Private insurance and ESI holders are also eligible.
Q5. AB PM-JAY was launched in September 2018 at: (a) New Delhi (b) Ranchi (c) Varanasi (d) Lucknow
→ (b) It was launched on 23 September 2018.
Q6. Which Article of the Constitution directs the State to make effective provision for public assistance in old age? (a) Article 39 (b) Article 45 (c) Article 41 (d) Article 51A
→ (c) Article 47 deals with public health and nutrition.
Q7. "Public health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries" is a subject in the: (a) Union List (b) State List (c) Concurrent List (d) Eleventh Schedule only
→ (b) It is Entry 6 of List II, which is why health schemes are run through the States.
Q8. According to the India Ageing Report 2023, the share of people aged 60 and above in India's population is projected to reach about what level by 2050? (a) 10.5% (b) 15% (c) 30% (d) 20.8%
→ (d) It was about 10.5% in 2022.
Q9. Out-of-pocket expenditure as a share of total health expenditure in India in 2021-22 was about: (a) 39.4% (b) 62.6% (c) 48% (d) 25%
→ (a) It was 62.6% in 2014-15; 48% is the government's share in 2021-22.
Q10. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act was enacted in: (a) 1999 (b) 2007 (c) 2014 (d) 2019
→ (b) 1999 is the year of the National Policy on Older Persons.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Welfare schemes are tested in the CDS paper in a predictable way, and health schemes are among the most frequent.
The first form is the eligibility question: who is covered, and on what basis. For Vay Vandana the trap is income: the scheme has no income test for those aged 70 and above, unlike the rest of PM-JAY.
The second is the scheme-and-body question: which ministry or agency runs a scheme, and when and where it was launched. NHA, the Health Ministry, 2018 and Ranchi are the answers for PM-JAY.
The third is the constitutional link: which Directive Principle a scheme serves, or which List a subject is in. Article 41, Article 47 and Entry 6 of the State List all apply here.
The fourth uses data from reports: the ageing share, out-of-pocket spending, or the scheme's own figures. Keep the latest numbers in one place, because examiners use the most recent published figure.
At the SSB, a group discussion on "India's ageing population" or "universal health coverage" can use this scheme. The useful point is that Vay Vandana covers hospital costs well, but the elderly's biggest regular costs, medicines and outpatient care, still need stronger primary care.
Preparing for CDS? Make one page of health schemes listing the ministry, year, eligibility rule and cover for each, and add the latest figures as they are released. Build the base with our CDS/OTA study material, follow the daily CDS current affairs, and train with serving-standard faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 29 October 2026. Scheme design cross-checked with the Cabinet decision of 11 September 2024; ageing and health-spending figures with the India Ageing Report 2023 and the National Health Accounts estimates for 2021-22.
✍️ Written by Hitendra Deswal — Polity & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.