A Descriptive Study to Assess the Awareness Regarding Ayushman Bharat Yojana Among People Residing in Selected Rural Community

Abstract

Ayushman Bharat Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), launched by the Government of India, is one of the world's largest publicly funded health protection schemes, aimed at shielding economically disadvantaged families from catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenses. Despite its wide rollout, awareness of its coverage, eligibility, and enrolment process remains inconsistent, particularly in rural areas where the intended beneficiaries mostly reside. This descriptive study assessed awareness of Ayushman Bharat Yojana among 100 residents of a rural community in Madhya Pradesh, selected through convenience and simple random sampling, and examined its association with demographic variables. Data were collected using a structured knowledge questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test. Results showed that 28% of participants had good awareness, 46% had fair awareness, and 26% had limited awareness of the scheme. A significant association was found between awareness level and education and media exposure (p < 0.05), while age and occupation showed no significant association (p > 0.05). Overall, awareness among the rural population was fair-to-moderate, highlighting the need for targeted health education and community outreach to improve understanding and utilization of the scheme.