Rs 10 Lakh Cashless Health Bonanza For Gujarat Employees On Navratri

The state government initiated the G-Category, providing cashless treatment coverage up to Rs 10 lakh, to coincide with the completion of seven years of the central government’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya-Ayushman Bharat Scheme on September 22.

Since 2018, a total of 2.92 lakh beneficiaries in the state have registered for Ayushman cards, and claims worth Rs 13,946.53 crore have been paid for 50.27 lakh submitted claims.

Currently, a total of 2,712 hospitals are empanelled under this scheme in the state, comprising 947 private and 1,765 government hospitals, offering 2,471 procedures. Originally launched in 2012 by then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi with a budget provision of Rs 30 crore, the Ma Scheme later evolved into the Ma-Vatsalya Scheme in 2014, for which claims worth Rs 1,179.19 crore were settled between 2012 and 2018.

Last May, CM Bhupendra Patel had approved the Employee Health Security Scheme for officials and employees in a Cabinet meeting. Under the G-Category, the state government has now decided to provide AB-PMJAY-MAE cards.

The State Health Agency (SHA) has been appointed as the nodal agency for implementing this initiative. Although under this scheme, while OPD patients won't be eligible for benefits, the existing monthly medical allowance of Rs 1,000 will continue.

Act Governing Benefits Of Scheme 

The scheme covers 4.20 lakh state government officials and employees, including All India Services (AIS) officers, and 2.20 lakh pensioners. Fixed-pay employees currently receive benefits under the Employee Card scheme. Recently, pensioners aged 70 and above have been included in the Vayvandana Scheme, which means they too will be covered under this new scheme.

State government officials, employees, and pensioners must provide a certificate detailing their dependents as defined under the Gujarat State Services (Medical Treatment) Rules, 2015, and for AIS officers, as per the AIS (Medical Attendance) Rules, 1954, to be eligible for benefits.

Who Will Be Removed From Scheme?

In case of fixed-pay employees, those whose service ends without regular appointment, officials/employees who leave service, resign, or in cases of disciplinary action where the concerned officer/employee is no longer pensionable under applicable rules, the head of the office where they last served must inform the SHA. Based on this, the SHA will remove their names and those of their family members from the list of beneficiaries under PMJAY.

What Is Ayushman Bharat?

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is India’s flagship health programme, providing coverage to more than 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable beneficiaries and their families, offering cashless secondary and tertiary care in listed public and private hospitals.

The scheme covers 1,350 types of surgeries, tests, and procedures across the country. Under the central PM-JAY, each family receives insurance coverage up to Rs 5 lakh annually, but in Gujarat, this limit has been enhanced to Rs 10 lakh.

According to the official PM-JAY website, as of June 2025, 41.07 crore cards have been issued nationwide, and 9.56 crore patients have been admitted to hospitals under the scheme.