Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday, 14 June 2026 praised the 12-year record of the Narendra Modi government on healthcare, saying more than 60 crore citizens have received health protection cover and millions have gained access to affordable medicines under central schemes. The BJP leader framed the milestone under the hashtag #12YearsOfSwasthBharat, linking it to the broader vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' — a developed India.

Context

Posting in Hindi, Choudhary wrote: 'हर परिवार को स्वास्थ्य सुरक्षा, हर नागरिक को बेहतर सुविधाएं यही नए भारत का संकल्प है' — 'Health protection for every family, better facilities for every citizen — this is the resolve of the new India.' He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with transforming healthcare from a 'government facility' into a 'foundation of trust' for poor and needy families over the past 12 years.

The post arrives as the BJP marks over a decade of governance at the Centre, with party leaders across states amplifying health sector achievements as part of a coordinated messaging campaign tied to the #12YearsOfSwasthBharat hashtag.

Policy Backdrop

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), launched in 2018, is the flagship scheme at the centre of these claims. It provides hospitalisation cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, targeting economically weaker sections — making it one of the world's largest publicly funded health insurance programmes.

Alongside insurance, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana has expanded a network of generic medicine outlets across the country, significantly reducing out-of-pocket drug costs for ordinary households. The National Health Policy 2017 had set the structural targets — raising public health spending and strengthening primary care — that these schemes operationalised.

Successive Union budgets after 2014 increased allocations for health infrastructure, digital health records, and preventive programmes, with states like Bihar serving as key implementation theatres given their large populations of economically vulnerable citizens.

Stakeholders and Impact

For Bihar — one of India's most populous and economically challenged states — the reach of central health schemes carries particular weight. Poor and rural families who previously faced catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenditure are the primary intended beneficiaries of both PM-JAY and the Jan Aushadhi network.

Choudhary's post signals that the state government views alignment with central health policy as a political and administrative priority. By invoking the figure of 60 crore-plus beneficiaries nationally, he situates Bihar's own implementation within a larger national success narrative ahead of potential budget and policy announcements.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to Bihar's specific targets for expanding Ayushman Bharat coverage and any fresh health infrastructure commitments in the next state or Union budget session. With the BJP using the 12-year mark as a platform to consolidate its welfare governance image, further policy announcements — particularly on primary health centre upgrades and digital health integration — are likely to follow. The degree to which Bihar closes its own health infrastructure gaps will be the real test of the political messaging on display.