CM Dhami Credits Modi for Ayushman Bharat's 60 Cr Coverage
Synopsis
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for unprecedented health gains, stating that 60 crore Indians now receive free treatment under Ayushman Bharat. The statement was posted as part of the ruling party's 12-years-of-welfare campaign.
Key Takeaways
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand quoted CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on June 13, 2026 , crediting PM Narendra Modi for health and wellness improvements.
60 crore people in India have reportedly received access to free treatment under Ayushman Bharat , according to the statement.
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY was launched in September 2018 with an original target of covering 10.74 crore poor families.
The scheme provides up to Rs 5 lakh annual health cover per family for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation.
The post was tagged #12YearsOfGaribKalyan , part of a campaign marking the ruling party's welfare delivery since 2014 .
Expanding hospital empanelment in Uttarakhand's remote districts remains a key challenge for translating coverage into access.
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand on Saturday, June 13, 2026, quoted Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attributing unprecedented improvements in health and wellness to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting that 60 crore people across India have received access to free treatment under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Context
The statement, posted under the hashtag #12YearsOfGaribKalyan ('12 years of welfare for the poor'), reads: 'Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Modi ke netritva mein health aur wellness mein abhutpurva sudhar hua hai' — 'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, unprecedented improvements have taken place in health and wellness.' Chief Minister Dhami added that 60 crore people in India have received the facility of free treatment under Ayushman Bharat.
The post is part of a broader social-media campaign marking what the ruling party describes as 12 years of welfare delivery since 2014, when the present central government came to power.
Policy Backdrop
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) was announced in the Union Budget of 2018 and formally launched in September 2018. The scheme provides an annual health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation, with the original target of covering 10.74 crore economically vulnerable families — approximately 50 crore individuals.
Over subsequent years, the scheme's scope has been expanded through additional central and state-level top-ups, including coverage extended to senior citizens above 70 years of age announced in 2024. Uttarakhand is among the states that have maintained active empanelment of public and private hospitals under the scheme.
Stakeholders and Impact
The primary beneficiaries of PM-JAY are families from economically weaker sections who previously faced catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure on hospitalisation. For a hill state like Uttarakhand, where geography limits access to tertiary care, cashless hospitalisation at empanelled facilities — including those in the plains — carries particular significance.
State governments in BJP-ruled states have consistently amplified central welfare scheme milestones, and CM Dhami's statement follows that established pattern. Policy observers note that insurance-based health coverage forms a central pillar of the social-sector delivery narrative that state governments have built since 2014.
What's Next
Attention will now turn to state-level utilisation data for Uttarakhand under PM-JAY, including the number of claims settled, hospitals empanelled, and any fresh memoranda of understanding to onboard additional healthcare facilities. Expanding hospital empanelment in remote districts of the state remains a key operational challenge for translating coverage numbers into on-ground access.
As the #12YearsOfGaribKalyan campaign continues, more state governments are expected to post similar endorsements, making the aggregate messaging a significant plank in the ruling party's welfare communication ahead of future electoral cycles.
Point of View
Whether or not independently verified, signals that the ruling dispensation is leaning on health coverage as a primary welfare credential heading into future electoral cycles. For Uttarakhand specifically, the messaging papers over persistent ground-level challenges: hospital density in hill districts remains thin, and empanelment gaps mean that cashless coverage does not always translate into accessible care. The broader pattern suggests that welfare scheme communication is increasingly coordinated across BJP-governed states as a unified national narrative.
NationPress
4 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ayushman Bharat and who does it cover?
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is India's national health protection scheme that provides up to Rs 5 lakh annual cover per family for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation, originally targeting 10.74 crore economically vulnerable families.
What did CM Pushkar Singh Dhami say about Ayushman Bharat?
CM Dhami stated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, unprecedented improvements have occurred in health and wellness, and that 60 crore people in India have received free treatment under Ayushman Bharat.
When was Ayushman Bharat launched?
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY was announced in the Union Budget of 2018 and formally launched in September 2018.
What is the #12YearsOfGaribKalyan campaign?
#12YearsOfGaribKalyan ('12 years of welfare for the poor') is a social-media campaign marking the ruling party's welfare delivery milestones since coming to power in 2014, under which state governments are highlighting central schemes.
How does Ayushman Bharat benefit people in Uttarakhand?
In Uttarakhand, where remote geography limits access to tertiary care, Ayushman Bharat allows eligible families to avail cashless hospitalisation at empanelled facilities, including hospitals outside the hill state.
