UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Update on AB PM-JAY

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the beneficiary base and entitlement structure of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY: 1. The scheme's original beneficiary base of 10.74 crore families was revised upwards to 12 crore families in January 2022 to account for India's population growth of about 11.7 per cent since 2011. 2. Rural beneficiary households were identified using 11 occupational criteria of SECC 2011, while urban households were identified using 6 deprivation criteria. 3. A member aged 70 years or above of a family already covered under the scheme receives an additional top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year that need not be shared with family members below 70 years. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The scheme's original beneficiary base of 10.74 crore families was revised upwards to 12 crore families in January 2022 to account for India's population growth of about 11.7 per cent since 2011.
  2. Rural beneficiary households were identified using 11 occupational criteria of SECC 2011, while urban households were identified using 6 deprivation criteria.
  3. A member aged 70 years or above of a family already covered under the scheme receives an additional top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year that need not be shared with family members below 70 years.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Consider the following as beneficiary categories entitled to cover under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY: 1. Households identified on the basis of the National Population Register updation exercise of 2015. 2. Families of Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers. 3. Persons aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status. 4. All persons covered by the Employees' State Insurance scheme, irrespective of their age. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as an entitled beneficiary category?

  1. Households identified on the basis of the National Population Register updation exercise of 2015.
  2. Families of Accredited Social Health Activists, Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers.
  3. Persons aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
  4. All persons covered by the Employees' State Insurance scheme, irrespective of their age.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 4 only

Q3. Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is operationalised at the national level by a body created in January 2019 by restructuring an existing registered society, its earlier multi-tier decision-making structure being replaced by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare. Which one of the following is that body?

  • A. National Health Systems Resource Centre, the technical support institution of the National Health Mission
  • B. Central Bureau of Health Intelligence, functioning under the Directorate General of Health Services
  • C. National Health Authority, created by restructuring the erstwhile National Health Agency
  • D. National Medical Commission, constituted in place of the erstwhile Medical Council of India

Q4. In the implementation architecture of AB PM-JAY, the expression 'State Health Agency' denotes which one of the following?

  • A. The state-level office of the National Health Authority, staffed by officers deputed from the Union Health Ministry
  • B. A society or trust constituted by a State/UT enjoying full operational autonomy over running the scheme in that State
  • C. The insurer chosen through competitive bidding to carry claim liability in a State that follows the assurance mode
  • D. The apex body of empanelled public and private hospitals that negotiates treatment package rates within a State

Q5. Which one of the following correctly describes the entitlement conferred by the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?

  • A. It entitles every person aged 70 years and above to unlimited cashless treatment at all empanelled hospitals, with no annual ceiling
  • B. It replaces a household's ₹5 lakh cover with a single ₹10 lakh cover to be shared by all members of the family irrespective of age
  • C. It reimburses in cash the medical bills of persons aged 70 years and above incurred at any hospital, subject to a ₹5 lakh annual cap
  • D. It gives a person aged 70 years and above in an already-covered family a top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year, unshared with members below 70

Q6. Consider the following statements about how different categories of persons aged 70 years and above are treated under the AB PM-JAY expansion approved in September 2024: 1. A person already covered under AB PM-JAY as part of a SECC-identified family receives a dedicated top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year for himself or herself. 2. A person covered under the Central Government Health Scheme or the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme may either continue with that scheme or opt for AB PM-JAY. 3. A person holding a private health insurance policy is barred from AB PM-JAY so long as that policy remains in force. 4. A person covered under the Employees' State Insurance scheme is eligible to avail benefits under AB PM-JAY. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A person already covered under AB PM-JAY as part of a SECC-identified family receives a dedicated top-up of up to ₹5 lakh a year for himself or herself.
  2. A person covered under the Central Government Health Scheme or the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme may either continue with that scheme or opt for AB PM-JAY.
  3. A person holding a private health insurance policy is barred from AB PM-JAY so long as that policy remains in force.
  4. A person covered under the Employees' State Insurance scheme is eligible to avail benefits under AB PM-JAY.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 and 4

Q7. In June 2026, an MoU with one State completed the implementation of AB PM-JAY across all 36 States and Union Territories, that State being the last to join the scheme. Which one of the following is that State?

  • A. Odisha
  • B. Telangana
  • C. West Bengal
  • D. National Capital Territory of Delhi

Q8. The 2026 agreement extending AB PM-JAY to West Bengal was concluded on the Union side by a statutory-cum-executive body that functions under which one of the following Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Labour and Employment, which administers the Employees' State Insurance scheme
  • B. Ministry of Women and Child Development, which administers the Anganwadi services network
  • C. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which oversees the National Health Authority
  • D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the nodal ministry for the welfare of senior citizens

Q9. Consider the following statements about the cumulative performance of AB PM-JAY as on 30 June 2026: 1. About 12.69 crore cashless hospital admissions worth roughly ₹1.92 lakh crore had been authorised under the scheme. 2. Inter-State portability accounted for about 29.05 lakh admissions, involving an amount of over ₹8,383 crore. 3. Treatment under the scheme is available exclusively at government hospitals empanelled by the State Health Agencies. 4. The scheme was by then operational in all 36 States and Union Territories. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. About 12.69 crore cashless hospital admissions worth roughly ₹1.92 lakh crore had been authorised under the scheme.
  2. Inter-State portability accounted for about 29.05 lakh admissions, involving an amount of over ₹8,383 crore.
  3. Treatment under the scheme is available exclusively at government hospitals empanelled by the State Health Agencies.
  4. The scheme was by then operational in all 36 States and Union Territories.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q10. The expansion carried out in March 2024 brought the single largest block of frontline functionaries — about 37 lakh families — under AB PM-JAY cover. Which one of the following constituted that block?

  • A. All Multi-Purpose Health Workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives serving at health sub-centres across the country
  • B. Accredited Social Health Activists together with Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers, and their families
  • C. All Community Health Officers posted at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, along with their dependent family members
  • D. Frontline personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces and their dependants not covered under any other scheme

Q11. Among the States/UTs that joined AB PM-JAY in 2025, one was the 35th to sign the MoU and provides its beneficiaries a further top-up of ₹5 lakh from its own resources, over and above the central cover available to every family. Which one of the following is it?

  • A. Odisha
  • B. National Capital Territory of Delhi
  • C. West Bengal
  • D. Telangana

Q12. Which one of the following correctly states the pattern in which expenditure under AB PM-JAY is shared between the Union and the sub-national governments?

  • A. 60:40 in most States, 90:10 in the North-Eastern and the three Himalayan States, and fully central for UTs without legislature
  • B. 75:25 uniformly in all States, with the Union bearing the entire cost in every Union Territory regardless of its legislature
  • C. 50:50 uniformly across all States and Union Territories, health being a State subject under the Seventh Schedule
  • D. Borne entirely by the Union everywhere, the States contributing only administrative staff and physical infrastructure