Centre Approves Rs 33,081 Cr for States, UTs to Boost Health Infrastructure

The Central Government has approved an allocation of ₹33,081.82 crore to states and union territories under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), aiming to significantly strengthen India’s public health infrastructure from the grassroots to advanced tertiary care. The funding, which spans from 2021–22 to 2025–26, is part of the Centre’s broader push to build a health system capable of effectively responding to current and future public health emergencies.

Launched in 2021, PM-ABHIM is a centrally sponsored scheme with a total financial outlay of ₹64,180 crore. While the central government directly funds some components, others are implemented through state and UT governments under the CSS model. The mission is a response to lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to create a more resilient, responsive, and inclusive health system.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the approved ₹33,081 crore covers a wide range of infrastructure upgrades across rural and urban areas. This includes transforming thousands of sub-centres without buildings into fully functional Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which will serve as Health and Wellness Centres under the Ayushman Bharat umbrella. Additionally, urban health facilities—targeting underserved areas such as slums—will be developed under the Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandir component.

The Centre has also cleared funding for the establishment of block-level public health units to improve disease surveillance and diagnostics, integrated public health laboratories to boost testing capabilities, and critical care hospital blocks in densely populated districts to enhance access to advanced medical care. These upgrades are part of a coordinated, multi-tiered strategy to improve service delivery at every level of the health system.

So far, project approvals under the scheme include over 10,600 building-less rural health sub-centres being upgraded, more than 5,400 new urban health facilities, upwards of 2,100 block public health units, 744 integrated labs, and 621 critical care hospital blocks. All these projects are spread over the five-year mission period, with execution being closely monitored by the Union Health Ministry in collaboration with state health departments.

Officials say the implementation of PM-ABHIM marks one of the most ambitious and expansive public health initiatives in recent history. With the formal approval of over ₹33,000 crore worth of projects, the government aims to lay the foundation for a more equitable and robust healthcare ecosystem—ensuring that no region, regardless of geography or income level, is left behind in access to essential health services.

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