In its performance audit report on Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) highlighted deficiencies in implementation of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) plan under the scheme.

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The AB-PMJAY provides a health cover up to Rs 5 lakhs per family per year, for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation services. It provides cashless and paperless access to services for the beneficiaries at the point of service.

The CAG's audit report on AB-PMJAY which was presented in Parliament recently, revealed that in between 2018-21, the National Health Authority (NHA) had spent Rs 64.07 crore for IEC activities.

“During 2018-19 to 2020-21, NHA has incurred an expenditure of 64.07 crore on IEC activities. However, NHA did not allot a specific budget for these activities, in the absence of which audit could not verify whether the expenditure was within the prescribed budget ceiling.

"The NHA did not provide any details and records about a comprehensive IEC plan and its implementation status at the Central level. In the absence of these details and records, audit could not verify whether IEC activities were carried out at the central level in a planned manner and how far the planned targets were achieved,” the report added.

It went on to say that “the NHA also did not provide any details of the mechanism for monitoring of IEC activities in various states all over India at the Central level". "The audit could not verify whether NHA has monitored the IEC activities being carried out in States for creating awareness regarding benefits of the scheme among beneficiaries in order to increase registration of beneficiaries and coverage of the scheme.

“In seven states -- Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand -- IEC cell was formed. In 12 states -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Rajasthan and Tripura -- IEC Cell was not formed, whereas no information was available about remaining states,” the report added.

It further revealed that in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh, expenditure on IEC activities ranged from zero to 20.24% of the allotted budget against the prescribed benchmark of 25%.

“NHA needs to make special efforts and sensitise the entitled beneficiaries to generate awareness about the scheme. It needs to ensure that adequate expenditure is done by the SHAS (State Health Agencies) to generate awareness about the scheme,” the CAG audit report said.