Ayushman Bharat Rolls Out in Bengal with 1,950 Treatment Packages

MP, August 17, 2026, Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday formally launched the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in West Bengal, increasing treatment packages from 1,700 to 1,950, including expensive procedures such as knee and hip replacements.

Around 1.43 crore families, covering nearly six crore people, will receive cashless treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh a year under the scheme, Adhikari said.

He also launched the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana for the remaining 80 lakh families outside Ayushman Bharat coverage, offering them the same facilities as PMJAY.

Speaking at a programme marking Ayushman Diwas, he said Bengal residents could access free treatment at 1,240 private and 627 government hospitals in the state, besides 38,604 empanelled hospitals across the country.

All senior citizens aged 70 years and above will also be covered.

Adhikari said the earlier Swasthya Sathi scheme offered benefits at around 1,500 hospitals, while treatment at Christian Medical College, Vellore, was available only for a limited period.

Agreements were signed to set up 100 Amrit Pharmacies and 467 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras.

The government has also introduced the ‘Sudrishti’ programme for free eye-care services.

On private hospitals’ demand for revision of Category-B package rates, Adhikari said the government would examine their concerns along the lines of Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.

He said state Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal had discussed the matter with the Centre.

Taking a swipe at the previous government’s observance of Khela Hobe Diwas on August 16, Adhikari said his government would observe Ayushman Diwas, focusing on people’s health and longevity.

Explaining the choice of date, he referred to the Great Calcutta Killing of 1946 and claimed around 10,000 Hindus were killed in the violence.

He also paid tribute to Gopal Mukhopadhyay, popularly known as Gopal Patha, and called for “Ayushman Mandirs” to improve healthcare facilities.

Adhikari said Rs 3,000 under the Annapurna Yojana would start reaching beneficiaries from Monday, August 17, with nearly 90 per cent of applicants expected to receive the benefit after eligibility relaxations and correction of bank-related discrepancies.

Applicants whose verification was completed by July 10 will receive the first tranche, he said.

The portal remained open until July 31, while later applications were still being verified.

A portal for complaints and suggestions will subsequently be opened for those excluded.

The 0.5-acre landholding criterion has been removed for rural areas and municipalities but retained for municipal corporation areas.

The three-room house criterion has also been relaxed, mainly for rural areas and smaller municipalities.

Adhikari said Aadhaar-linking issues, incorrect bank details and system errors had affected payments in July, when around 1.19 crore beneficiaries received the benefit.

Around 1.8 crore applications have been received, he said, claiming most applicants appeared to meet the eligibility requirements.

Adhikari on Sunday paid tributes to the victims of the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings, describing the communal violence as a “dark and tragic chapter” in the history of the city.

In a social media post, Adhikari said that Kolkata had on August 16, 1946, plunged into an “abyss of violence and bloodshed”, a day remembered as Direct Action Day and the Great Calcutta Killings.