In UP, 14 crore ration card holders are set to benefit—along with free rations, they will also receive free medical treatment..

There is good news for millions of ration card holders in Uttar Pradesh. Following the provision of free rations, the state government is now set to offer a significant gift of health security to eligible families. A proposal to include all ration card holders in Uttar Pradesh under the 'Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Yojana' has received in-principle approval. This decision is expected to directly benefit approximately 146.1 million (14.61 crore) people in the state.

**146.1 million beneficiaries to receive cashless medical treatment of up to ₹5 lakh**
Currently, there are 36.3 million (3.63 crore) ration cards in Uttar Pradesh—comprising both 'red' and 'white' cards—covering approximately 146.1 million (14.61 crore) registered beneficiaries. Once this new scheme is implemented, all these cardholders will be eligible for free, cashless medical treatment of up to ₹5 lakh annually at government and private hospitals empanelled under the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana' (Ayushman Bharat). This benefit will be available to the entire family collectively.

**Separate provisions for families of government employees**
Families with members already employed in government service—who are currently availing of other government-provided healthcare benefits through their respective departments—may be excluded from the scope of this scheme. According to senior officials in the Health Department, the smooth implementation of the scheme is being planned, taking into account such families and other technical aspects.

**Impact on the state's financial burden**
This major expansion of the scheme will increase the financial burden on the state exchequer. Currently, the annual expenditure for the Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the state ranges between ₹6,000 crore and ₹9,000 crore. With the inclusion of all ration card holders, the annual expenditure is projected to rise to approximately ₹15,000 crore. Provisions for this additional financial requirement are likely to be made during the upcoming legislative assembly session or through a supplementary budget.

Once the new regulations are finalized and the official budget allocation process is complete, the government is expected to announce the formal launch date for the scheme.

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