West Bengal joins Ayushman Bharat on 8 June, becomes 36th state to sign on
Synopsis
West Bengal's formal entry into Ayushman Bharat on 8 June closes a seven-year gap — the previous TMC government had refused to join the Central scheme, insisting on Swastha Sathi. With six crore beneficiaries now set to migrate, this is the largest single-state onboarding since the scheme launched in 2018, and a direct consequence of the BJP's election win in Bengal.
Key Takeaways
West Bengal signed an MoU with the National Health Authority (NHA) on 8 June to join Ayushman Bharat .
The state becomes the 36th state or Union Territory linked to the Central health insurance scheme.
Six crore existing Swastha Sathi beneficiaries will be migrated to Ayushman Bharat.
The previous TMC government had refused to join Ayushman Bharat since its 2018 launch, citing the state's own Swastha Sathi scheme.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Health Minister J.P.
Nadda and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in New Delhi.
West Bengal formally joined the Ayushman Bharat Central health insurance scheme on 8 June, with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the state government and the National Health Authority (NHA) in New Delhi. The signing makes West Bengal the 36th state to be linked to the flagship Union health scheme, ending a years-long gap in coverage for the state's residents.
The MoU Signing
The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the national capital. Under the MoU, the state's existing six crore Swastha Sathi beneficiaries will be migrated to Ayushman Bharat, and new applicants will be enrolled directly under the Central scheme going forward.
Why West Bengal Was Left Out Until Now
Ayushman Bharat was launched by the Union Government in 2018, but the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led administration under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declined to join, citing the state's own Swastha Sathi health insurance programme. The state government at the time argued that Swastha Sathi adequately served residents and that linking to the Central scheme was unnecessary.
This came amid persistent complaints from Swastha Sathi cardholders that private hospitals were reluctant to honour the card, while private medical institutes, in turn, flagged chronic delays in reimbursements from the state treasury — pointing to systemic gaps in the scheme's execution.
BJP's Shift in Policy After Election Win
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made West Bengal's exclusion from Central welfare schemes a prominent campaign issue ahead of the recent state assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing campaign rallies, accused the then-TMC government of depriving residents of benefits under Ayushman Bharat and other Central programmes.
After the BJP's victory, Chief Minister Adhikari moved quickly to reverse that stance. Speaking at the state secretariat, Nabanna, last month, Adhikari presented detailed figures on the scale of benefits residents had reportedly missed out on under the previous administration across multiple Central schemes.
What Changes for Beneficiaries
The integration brings West Bengal's population under the Ayushman Bharat umbrella, which offers cashless hospitalisation coverage at empanelled public and private hospitals nationwide. The shift is expected to address the reimbursement friction that plagued Swastha Sathi, since Ayushman Bharat operates on a direct-benefit transfer model with standardised claim processing through the NHA.
With all 36 states and Union Territories now on board, the scheme's national coverage is effectively complete. How smoothly the transition is managed — particularly for existing Swastha Sathi cardholders — will determine whether the policy shift delivers on its promise.
Point of View
Reversing seven years of deliberate exclusion. The real question now is execution: migrating six crore Swastha Sathi cardholders is an administrative undertaking of considerable scale, and past Central-scheme onboardings in large states have stumbled on data reconciliation and hospital empanelment gaps. Swastha Sathi's troubled reimbursement record also raises a legitimate concern about whether private hospitals in Bengal will swiftly warm to the new arrangement. The Centre should treat this not as a photo-op but as a stress test for the NHA's integration machinery.
NationPress
24 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ayushman Bharat scheme and why is West Bengal joining it now?
Ayushman Bharat is a Central government health insurance scheme launched in 2018 that provides cashless hospitalisation coverage at empanelled hospitals. West Bengal is joining on 8 June after the BJP came to power in the state, reversing the previous TMC government's decision to stay out of the scheme.
What happens to existing Swastha Sathi beneficiaries in West Bengal?
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that all six crore existing Swastha Sathi beneficiaries will be migrated to Ayushman Bharat. New applicants will be enrolled directly under the Central scheme.
Why did the previous West Bengal government refuse to join Ayushman Bharat?
The previous Trinamool Congress government under Mamata Banerjee declined to join Ayushman Bharat, arguing that the state's own Swastha Sathi scheme adequately covered residents. Critics, including Prime Minister Modi, alleged this deprived Bengalis of superior Central benefits.
What were the problems with the Swastha Sathi scheme?
Swastha Sathi cardholders frequently reported that private hospitals were reluctant to honour the card. Private hospitals, in turn, complained about prolonged delays in receiving reimbursements from the state government, undermining the scheme's effectiveness.
Which state or Union Territory was the 36th to join Ayushman Bharat?
West Bengal became the 36th state or Union Territory to be linked to Ayushman Bharat following the MoU signed on 8 June between the state government and the National Health Authority.
