The issue of linking Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) cards with Aadhaar has once again drawn attention after reports highlighted that many older health cards are still active even without Aadhaar-based verification.

Over the years, the government has made several attempts to strengthen identity verification within CGHS, including proposals to connect beneficiary records with Aadhaar and the Ayushman Bharat Health Account, or ABHA. However, some of these directions were later withdrawn or kept on hold, leaving older beneficiary cards operational under the existing system.

The situation has raised questions about how beneficiaries are verified, how outdated records are identified and whether inactive or ineligible accounts can continue to remain in the system.

What Is the CGHS Aadhaar Linking Issue?

Aadhaar-based identification is used across a large number of government services and welfare programmes in India.

According to the information cited in the source, Aadhaar authentication or Aadhaar-linked identification is used across more than 3,100 Direct Benefit Transfer schemes and around 360 government services.

However, Aadhaar linkage has not become fully mandatory across all older CGHS cards despite several efforts to introduce such a requirement.

CGHS provides healthcare facilities to eligible central government employees, pensioners and other approved categories. Because many cards were issued years ago, including some from the early stages of computerisation, questions have been raised about how frequently beneficiary details are revalidated.

Aadhaar Linking Orders Were Issued More Than Once

The government reportedly began issuing office memorandums related to Aadhaar linking for CGHS beneficiaries as early as June 2015.

However, some of these orders were subsequently withdrawn or suspended.

A similar development took place in July 2024, when instructions were issued to link CGHS beneficiary IDs with an ABHA account created using Aadhaar.

The move was later kept on hold until further orders.

As a result, Aadhaar-based verification has not become a universal requirement for every existing CGHS beneficiary card.

Why Has Mandatory Linking Faced Questions?

One argument reportedly made by officials is that CGHS is different from a conventional welfare scheme because beneficiaries contribute toward the healthcare system.

However, the source notes that a significant share of overall CGHS expenditure is borne by the central government.

According to the figures mentioned, close to 90% of the total expenditure under CGHS comes from the government treasury, while employee contributions form a much smaller portion.

This has led to debate over whether beneficiary verification under CGHS should be made more stringent, especially when Aadhaar-based identity checks are already common in several other government programmes.

Old CGHS Cards Are Still in Use

Another concern relates to older CGHS cards, particularly those issued many years ago.

The source states that some pensioner cards created around 2005, when computerisation of the system was still at an early stage, continue to remain active.

It also claims that pensioners and dependent family members do not necessarily undergo annual identity verification in every case.

This raises a practical concern: if records are not periodically updated, removing beneficiaries who have died, become ineligible or no longer meet the scheme's conditions could become more difficult.

Such gaps could also increase the possibility of misuse if outdated accounts remain active.

Why Regular Verification Could Matter

Periodic verification can help ensure that healthcare benefits are being used only by eligible beneficiaries.

A system with older records may face challenges if changes in family status, dependency, eligibility or death are not updated promptly.

Aadhaar or another reliable identity-verification mechanism could potentially help reduce duplication and improve record accuracy, although any such system would need to follow applicable legal and administrative rules.

The broader question is not only whether Aadhaar should be used, but also how CGHS can maintain an updated and accurate database of beneficiaries.

How Does CGHS Compare With Other Government Health Schemes?

The source also compares CGHS with other government-backed healthcare arrangements.

Schemes such as the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and railway health systems have introduced Aadhaar-linked verification requirements in certain contexts.

This has led to questions about why CGHS continues to follow a different approach for some categories of beneficiaries.

The report also claims that per-person expenditure under CGHS is higher than in some comparable government health schemes.

If outdated or ineligible beneficiary records are removed through stronger verification, it could potentially improve the efficiency of expenditure, although the exact impact would depend on official data and implementation.

Who Can Receive CGHS Benefits?

CGHS covers several categories of eligible beneficiaries.

These include serving and retired central government employees along with eligible family members.

The scheme also extends healthcare benefits to certain other categories, including serving and former Members of Parliament, eligible current and retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and accredited journalists in Delhi, among others covered under applicable CGHS rules.

Because the beneficiary base is broad, maintaining accurate identity and eligibility records is an important administrative task.

What Does This Mean for Existing Cardholders?

For existing CGHS beneficiaries, the key point is that older cards may continue to remain valid even if Aadhaar linking has not been completed, depending on the applicable rules and current instructions.

Beneficiaries should not assume that their card will automatically become invalid merely because it is not Aadhaar-linked.

At the same time, rules can change through fresh government orders.

Cardholders should therefore follow official CGHS notifications for any future requirement related to Aadhaar, ABHA, identity verification or card renewal.

For now, the debate highlights a larger issue around modernising beneficiary records while ensuring that eligible central government employees, pensioners and their families continue to receive healthcare services without unnecessary disruption.