India, Oct. 24 -- Former Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya considers Ayushman Bharat (AB) to be one of the major successes of the Narendra Modi Government. Obviously, he has in mind only one of the AB pillars, that is the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) which entitles free hospitalisation benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh every year to nearly 11 crore vulnerable households. PMJAY has been able to treat nearly 50 lakh people at an average cost of Rs 17,000 per treatment in its first year. The other pillar of AB relates to Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) aimed at providing comprehensive primary care and serving as a platform for integrated delivery of various services. The Government plans to develop 150,000 HWCs across the cou...