Assam has become the first state in India to deliver more than one crore Ayushman Bharat cards to the beneficiaries, claimed cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika on Sunday.

In a post on X, the Assam cabinet minister for social justice and empowerment, among other portfolios, praised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their leadership.

Hazarika said that the delivery of the card, which assures best healthcare facilities to beneficiaries has breached the one crore mark in Assam.

"Under the dynamic leadership of HCM Dr @himantabiswa, Assam has become the first state to deliver more than 1 cr Ayushman cards assuring the best healthcare facilities to the needful," he wrote on X.

It may be noted that the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a nationwide government health insurance program in India designed to offer cost-free health insurance to the country's low-income population.

Approximately half of the country's population is eligible for this program. Participants can receive primary care from a family physician, and if necessary, the PM-JAY program offers free secondary health care for those in need of specialized treatment and tertiary health care for individuals requiring hospitalization.

The initiative is a component of India's National Health Policy and is based on the recipient's financial situation. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare introduced it in September 2018, followed by the establishment of the National Health Authority to oversee the initiative. It operates as a centrally sponsored program, with contributions from both the central government and the individual states.

By providing services to 500 million individuals, it stands as the biggest government-backed healthcare initiative globally. The program is income-based, specifically targeting those in India classified as low-income.