Srinagar, September 27,2026- Jammu & Kashmir has received national recognition for its performance under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), with the State Health Agency (SHA), J&K, being honoured as the ‘Best Performing Union Territory’ for achieving complete coverage of frontline workers with Ayushman Cards.
The Award
The recognition was conferred at Aarogya Manthan 2026, held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, as part of celebrations marking eight years of AB-PMJAY and five years of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The award was received by Virender Kumar, Nodal Officer, SHA J&K, from Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda, in the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Authority, and other dignitaries.
Basis of the Recognition
The honour specifically acknowledges J&K’s achievement in reaching saturation coverage — ensuring that all eligible frontline workers across the Union Territory have been enrolled and issued Ayushman Cards under the scheme. This category of beneficiaries includes health workers and other essential field personnel who play a central role in delivering public services at the grassroots level.
Officials said the achievement was the outcome of coordinated efforts across multiple tiers of the health administration, involving SHA J&K, Chief Medical Officers, district-level teams, frontline health workers, and field functionaries. Sustained work at the district and grassroots levels was cited as instrumental in ensuring that eligible workers were identified, enrolled, and enabled to access the benefits available under the scheme.
Official Reaction
Officials in Srinagar described the recognition as a proud moment for the health teams working across Jammu and Kashmir. They noted that the achievement is expected to provide further momentum to the ongoing efforts of SHA J&K to strengthen AB-PMJAY SEHAT — the Union Territory’s expanded version of the national scheme — and to extend the benefits of the programme more widely across J&K.
Background on the Scheme
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is India’s flagship health insurance scheme, aimed at providing financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure, particularly for economically vulnerable sections of the population. The scheme was extended to the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in December 2020. In September 2024, its coverage was further expanded to include senior citizens across the country regardless of income, adding an additional health cover for elderly beneficiaries.
J&K’s own SEHAT scheme builds on the national framework to widen eligibility and benefits within the Union Territory, reflecting a broader push to achieve near-universal health coverage in the region.
Significance
The Aarogya Manthan event serves as a national platform to review progress under AB-PMJAY and ABDM, and to recognise states and Union Territories that have demonstrated strong implementation outcomes. J&K’s recognition as the best-performing Union Territory places its health administration among the leading performers nationally for this reporting cycle, specifically in the category of frontline worker coverage.
The achievement is also seen as an indicator of the administrative capacity and coordination within the Union Territory’s health system, particularly given the logistical challenges involved in ensuring saturation-level enrolment across a geographically diverse and, in parts, difficult terrain.
Outlook
With this recognition, SHA J&K is expected to continue its focus on expanding coverage under AB-PMJAY SEHAT to other beneficiary categories, building on the systems and coordination mechanisms that enabled the successful saturation of frontline workers. Officials indicated that the momentum generated by the award would be channelled into further strengthening healthcare access across the Union Territory in the months ahead.
