Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday inaugurated Aarogya Manthan 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, an event organised by the National Health Authority to mark eight years of the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY health insurance scheme.

The event also marked five years of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which aims to create a unified digital health ecosystem across the country.

According to the government, PM-JAY now covers more than 60 crore beneficiaries, with over 13 crore hospital admissions authorised and treatment worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore provided since the scheme’s launch in 2018.

The scheme, which provides Rs 5 lakh annual health cover per family, was recently extended to all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of income.

The two-day event brings together state health officials, insurers and hospital representatives to review the scheme’s progress and discuss its next phase.

The National Health Authority, which runs the scheme, has empanelled thousands of public and private hospitals across states and Union Territories. Officials said new fraud-detection tools using data analytics have been rolled out to protect the scheme’s funds.