New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) The Delhi government is set to commence the distribution of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) health cards to residents of the national capital starting Thursday, following their registration under the scheme.

The health cards will be distributed to the beneficiaries at 3 p.m. at Plenary Hall in Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan.

The PM-JAY, launched in 2018, aims to alleviate the financial burden of healthcare on economically vulnerable families across India.

With the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Health Authority (NHA) of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Department of Health & Family Welfare of the Government of NCT of Delhi, the national capital has officially become the 35th state or union territory to implement the scheme.

West Bengal now remains the only state yet to adopt PM-JAY.

Following the agreement, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a major boost to the initiative by declaring an additional health cover of Rs 5 lakh to be provided by the state government, over and above the Rs 5 lakh coverage under the central scheme.

"Around 6.54 lakh families in Delhi will now be able to reap benefits from AB PM-JAY, with the card distribution for the scheme to be initiated from 10th April 2025 onwards," said CM Gupta.

Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh, speaking to IANS on Wednesday, said that approximately 2.60 lakh residents have already been enrolled as beneficiaries in the first phase and will receive their Ayushman Health cards over the next 40 to 42 days.

"About 400-500 people will get Ayushman Bharat card on Day 1," he stated. He also criticised the previous AAP-led administration for blocking the scheme, which he said was driven by "myopic political interests" and had deprived the people of Delhi of their rightful benefits.

"The previous government had blocked the Central healthcare scheme for its myopic political interests. The people of Delhi remained deprived of the benefits of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, but now, they will be entitled to receive all benefits, as any other citizen of the country," Singh said.

He further noted that a transparent and efficient system has been put in place to ensure hassle-free registration, timely fund disbursal, and prevention of interference by middlemen.

"As soon as a beneficiary gets himself or herself registered, their details will be updated on the portal, and they will also receive a message on their mobile phones," the Health Minister added.

The implementation of PM-JAY in Delhi marks a significant step toward strengthening healthcare access for low-income families in the capital and integrating them into the country's largest government-sponsored health protection scheme.