What happened
On 25 September 2026, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda opened Arogya Manthan 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event marks eight years of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and five years of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), and was organised by the National Health Authority (NHA).
New launches included the National Healthcare Providers Registry (NHPR) mobile app, a Secure Data Environment (SDE) built with IISc Bengaluru, an Auto-Adjudication Framework for PM-JAY claims, an NHCX implementation guide for payers and a guidebook for a model digital health facility.
Background
Nadda called PM-JAY the world's largest health assurance programme. It covers more than 60 crore beneficiaries and has paid for over 13 crore hospital admissions worth more than ₹2 lakh crore. The scheme now covers everyone aged 70 and above, whatever their income. Under ABDM, over 97.8 crore ABHA IDs have been created and over 121 crore health records linked. Around 5.6 lakh facilities and 11 lakh professionals are registered.
Awards: Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir were recognised for the highest card saturation among ASHA/AWW/AWH beneficiaries. Under ABDM, Bihar, Ladakh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli were top in model districts.
Why it matters for exams
Flagship schemes are asked in every exam. Launch years, cover amount, the implementing body and the latest coverage figures are standard MCQ material for UPSC, SSC, banking and state PSCs.
Key facts for exams
- AB PM-JAY: launched in September 2018 at Ranchi (Jharkhand); ₹5 lakh cover per family per year for secondary and tertiary care
- ABDM: launched in September 2021; ABHA = Ayushman Bharat Health Account
- Implementing agency: National Health Authority (NHA)
- Union Health Minister: J.P. Nadda (also Chemicals & Fertilizers)
- SDE partner: IISc Bengaluru
- NHCX: National Health Claims Exchange, a common platform for hospitals and insurers
Practice MCQs
Arogya Manthan 2026 marked how many years of AB PM-JAY?
(A) Five
(B) Six
(C) Seven
(D) EightAnswer: (D) – It marked eight years of PM-JAY and five years of ABDM.
Which institution helped NHA develop the Secure Data Environment?
(A) IIT Madras
(B) AIIMS New Delhi
(C) IISc Bengaluru
(D) C-DAC PuneAnswer: (C) – The PIB release names IISc Bengaluru.
How many ABHA IDs had been created as of September 2026, according to the Health Minister?
(A) Over 50 crore
(B) Over 75 crore
(C) Over 97.8 crore
(D) Over 121 croreAnswer: (C) – 121 crore is the number of linked health records, not ABHA IDs.
Source: PIB – Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 25 Sep 2026