UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — West Bengal Becomes 36th State/UT to Implement Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY

Q1. Under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), what is the annual health cover provided per beneficiary family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation?

  • A. ₹2 lakh
  • B. ₹5 lakh
  • C. ₹7.5 lakh
  • D. ₹10 lakh

Q2. Which one of the following is the apex body responsible for operationalising the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) at the national level?

  • A. National Health Mission (NHM)
  • B. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
  • C. National Health Authority (NHA)
  • D. Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)

Q3. With reference to the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), which one of the following is the sole apex body responsible for its implementation at the national level?

  • A. NITI Aayog
  • B. National Health Authority, an attached office of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
  • C. Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) Directorate under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
  • D. Employees' State Insurance Corporation under the Ministry of Labour & Employment

Q4. In the Governing Board of the National Health Authority (NHA), the Principal Secretaries (Health) of State Governments are represented, on a rotational basis, from how many geographical zones of the country?

  • A. Four
  • B. Five
  • C. Six
  • D. Seven

Q5. With reference to the two pillars of the Ayushman Bharat initiative, which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are being established by upgrading existing Sub Health Centres and Primary Health Centres in rural and urban areas.
  2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) delivers primary health care services including yoga and wellness activities at the community level.
  3. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs provide screening and management services for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
  4. PM-JAY provides cashless cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q6. Which of the following is/are NOT a feature of the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (first pillar of Ayushman Bharat)?

  1. Screening and management of common non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
  2. Provision of cashless cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for tertiary hospitalisation.
  3. Screening for three common cancers — oral, breast and cervix.
  4. Empanelment of private and public hospitals for inpatient surgical care under a portable beneficiary card.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q7. The senior-citizen (aged 70 years and above) expansion of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024, is estimated to cover approximately how many families?

  • A. 1.43 crore families
  • B. 4.5 crore families
  • C. 6 crore families
  • D. 12 crore families

Q8. With reference to the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card, consider the following statements:

  1. It provides a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per year on a family-floater basis to senior citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of income.
  2. Senior citizens aged 70 years and above belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY receive an additional top-up of Rs 5 lakh per year that is not shared with other family members below 70 years.
  3. The card was formally launched by the Prime Minister on 29 October 2024.
  4. Eligibility for the card is determined on the basis of Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), 2011 deprivation and occupational criteria.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q9. With reference to the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) as it stands after West Bengal's accession in June 2026, consider the following statements:

  1. The scheme, launched in 2018 at Ranchi, offers a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
  2. Beneficiaries under the scheme continue to be identified solely on the basis of the deprivation and occupational criteria of the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), 2011.
  3. With West Bengal's accession, all 36 States and Union Territories of India now implement AB PM-JAY.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. In 2019, the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare formally wrote to the Chief Ministers of certain non-participating States/UTs urging them to join the Ayushman Bharat – PMJAY. Which of the following were among the addressees of that communication?

  1. Delhi
  2. Odisha
  3. Tamil Nadu
  4. West Bengal
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q11. With reference to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) framework of the World Health Organization, to which Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is explicitly linked, consider the following statements:

  1. UHC implies that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, without exposure to financial hardship.
  2. Under the WHO framework, UHC is restricted to curative hospitalisation and palliative care, and does not include health promotion or rehabilitation services.
  3. UHC is monitored along three dimensions — population coverage, service coverage, and financial risk protection.
  4. UHC is enshrined as Target 3.8 of Sustainable Development Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q12. With reference to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) — the broader framework within which Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is positioned — which of the following is/are NOT a target listed under SDG 3?

  1. Achieving universal health coverage, including financial risk protection and access to essential medicines and vaccines for all.
  2. Ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age.
  3. Doubling the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers.
  4. Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalising the global partnership for sustainable development.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q13. With reference to the constitutional and federal architecture of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), consider the following statements:

  1. For most States, the Centre-State share of premium under PM-JAY is fixed at 60:40, whereas for the North-Eastern States and the three Himalayan special-category States the ratio is 90:10.
  2. While 'Public health and hospitals' is Entry 6 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule, 'Population control and family planning' is placed in the Concurrent List.
  3. For Union Territories without a legislature the Centre bears 100% of the PM-JAY premium, while Union Territories with a legislature follow the same 60:40 sharing pattern as ordinary States.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q14. The National Health Authority (NHA), the apex body for implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, functions as an attached office of which one of the following?

  • A. NITI Aayog
  • B. Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Q15. Under Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the beneficiary families were initially identified on the basis of which one of the following?

  • A. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) Consumption Expenditure Survey, 2011–12
  • B. Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011
  • C. Census of India, 2011
  • D. National Family Health Survey (NFHS)

Q16. As per the original eligibility framework of AB PM-JAY based on SECC 2011, how many occupational categories of workers in urban areas were identified for coverage under the scheme?

  • A. 6
  • B. 7
  • C. 11
  • D. 13