National Health Authority has entered into an agreement with Common Service Centre (e-governance) to issue free PVC card Ayushman cards to eligible beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) starting from 1^st March 2021 in 10 States/UTs i.e. Bihar, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tripura, Nagaland, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.

As per the MOU between National Health Authority (NHA) and Common Service Centres (CSCs E-Governance) signed on 18^th Feb 2021, the abovementioned States/UTs are among the first to agree issue new PVC Ayushman cards free to all eligible beneficiaries free of cost. Until now, it was required to pay Rs. 30 as fees at CSC. Ayushman cards generated at any of the PM-JAY empanelled hospitals, however, were issued for free and will continue to be issued free of charge.

Under the new arrangement, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY beneficiaries will receive a paper-based card on the spot to post approval of the record. Subsequently, a printed PVC card would be provided to the beneficiary, free of cost. The PVC Ayushman Card can be collected from the same CSC centre.

While the Ayushman card is not an essential requirement to avail healthcare benefits under the AB PM-JAY scheme, it is part of the mechanism for the identification and verification of beneficiaries to enable seamless delivery of health services to the patients and prevent any kind of malpractice and fraud.

The date for issuance of free PVC Ayushman Cards in other States/UTs will be informed shortly.