Bhubaneswar: Union Health Minister JP Nadda today launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in Odisha during a state-level event held at the Bali Jatra ground in Cuttack.
The scheme will be implemented in tandem with the Odisha government’s Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY), following a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Centre and the state.
In a significant addition, senior citizens aged 70 and above will also be entitled to free healthcare services under the Ayushman Vay Vandana component.
Under AB-GJAY, each family will receive health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh per annum, with an additional Rs 5 lakh for women members. The scheme offers cashless treatment at over 29,000 empanelled government and private hospitals across India. Each family member will be issued a personal health card to access benefits under the scheme.
The integrated health coverage programme—likely to be called Ayushman Bharat-Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-GJAY)—will provide comprehensive medical coverage to approximately 3.52 crore people from 1.08 crore families across Odisha.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, and Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling were among the dignitaries present at the launch event.
This marks a major policy shift from the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, which had declined to implement AB-PMJAY in the state, claiming its own Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) offered superior benefits. The new BJP-led state government has since rebranded BSKY as GJAY and formally adopted the national scheme in a combined format to expand healthcare access across the state.
