New Delhi | November 1,2025 | SKY LINK TIMES
In a major healthcare milestone, the Government of India announced that over 86.51 lakh senior citizens aged 70 and above have been issued Ayushman Vay Vandana (VVS) cards within a year of the scheme’s launch.
The initiative, launched in October 2024, aims to ensure universal healthcare access for India’s elderly population, offering free treatment worth up to ₹5 lakh annually irrespective of income or social category.
Empowering India’s Elderly Through Health Security
The Ayushman Vay Vandana Scheme is designed as an extension of the flagship Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) — India’s largest government-funded health insurance programme.
While AB-PMJAY provides ₹5 lakh coverage per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation, the Ayushman Vay Vandana Scheme specifically targets senior citizens aged 70 and above, ensuring that age or income is no barrier to quality healthcare.
According to an official statement,
> “Till October 28, more than 42 crore Ayushman cards have been issued for AB-PMJAY beneficiaries. More than 86 lakh senior citizens have been enrolled in the scheme.”
Part of the Wider Ayushman Bharat Vision
The Ayushman Bharat initiative, launched in 2018, aims to provide equitable health coverage and strengthen India’s healthcare infrastructure. It comprises four main pillars:
1.Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs (AAM):
Bringing primary healthcare closer to people’s homes or through teleconsultations.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM):
Digitally linking hospitals, clinics, and healthcare professionals under a unified health ID system.
PM-ABHIM (Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission):
Strengthening India’s healthcare infrastructure and pandemic preparedness.
AB-PMJAY & VVS:
Providing free secondary and tertiary healthcare access to millions of families and elderly citizens.
Together, these initiatives aim to create a digitally integrated, accessible, and affordable healthcare ecosystem across India.
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Towards Universal Health Coverage
The government emphasized that universal health coverage (UHC) is central to its mission — ensuring that no citizen is left behind in accessing affordable and quality healthcare.
> “Universal health coverage is about ensuring everyone, including the most vulnerable families, gets access to affordable, quality healthcare, enabling them to live healthy and fulfilling lives,” the statement read.
The Ayushman Bharat schemes, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, continue to be pivotal in achieving India’s health equity goals, especially for rural and economically weaker sections.
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