On Tuesday, 12th May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the people of West Bengal will now start getting the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme after the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government in the state. The BJP recently ended the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The welfare of my sisters and brothers of West Bengal is supreme!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2026
I’m very happy that the people of the state will have access to Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest healthcare scheme that ensures top-quality and affordable healthcare. At the same time, the double-engine… https://t.co/TS70LvkjoM
In a message posted on X, Modi said the welfare of the people of West Bengal remained his government’s top priority. He said the new “double-engine government” in the state and at the Centre would ensure smooth implementation of major Central welfare schemes.
“Ayushman Bharat is the world’s largest healthcare scheme, and it provides affordable and quality treatment to people,” the Prime Minister said. He added that he was happy that families in West Bengal would now be able to benefit from the programme.
Ayushman Bharat to replace TMC’s existing health scheme
Ayushman Bharat, officially called the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), provides health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family every year for poor and vulnerable families needing secondary and tertiary hospital treatment.
The previous TMC government had stayed out of the scheme and instead continued with its own health programme, Swasthya Sathi, and even blocked several Central schemes for political reasons.
With the new BJP government taking charge, the rollout of Ayushman Bharat and other Central welfare programmes is expected to begin soon.
