Karnataka Sandhya Kiran Scheme

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The Karnataka government has approved a new health scheme called Sandhya Kiran for its retired state government employees. The Karnataka Cabinet cleared the scheme on 13 August 2026, a week after the Health and Family Welfare Minister first announced that a dedicated cashless health cover was in the works for pensioners. Sandhya Kiran is a voluntary, contributory, cashless healthcare scheme, meaning eligible pensioners can choose to join it and pay a small share of their pension toward its cost, rather than the government enrolling everyone automatically or funding it entirely on its own.

Under the scheme, an eligible family can access cashless treatment up to ₹5 lakh a year, on a floater basis, covering secondary, tertiary, and emergency medical care. Treatment is available only at hospitals empanelled under the existing Ayushman Bharat–Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) network, and it follows AB-ArK's existing and revised treatment package rates, so the scheme builds on infrastructure the state has already put in place rather than creating a new hospital network from scratch.

Sandhya Kiran covers Karnataka state government pensioners below 70 years of age, family pensioners, and their eligible dependents, including dependent differently-abled children. In its first phase, the scheme is expected to cover around 3.11 lakh pensioners and a total of about 4.93 lakh beneficiaries once eligible dependents are included. Enrolled pensioners contribute 1.25% of their basic pension, while family pensioners contribute 0.75% of their basic family pension; the state government meets the rest of the treatment cost through its own budget.

The scheme is designed to stay financially sustainable over the long run. If the scheme's fund utilisation crosses 85% of its corpus, the contribution rate automatically rises by 0.05 percentage points, so the cost of running the scheme doesn't outpace what pensioners and the government are putting in. Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) has been named as the implementing agency, handling registration, contribution collection, the hospital network, cashless treatment, and claims, all coordinated with the AB-ArK system.

Karnataka already operates other healthcare initiatives for different beneficiary groups. One such programme is the Karnataka Arogya Sanjeevini Scheme (KASS), which provides cashless medical facilities to State Government employees and their dependent family members.

While the Arogya Sanjeevini Scheme focuses on serving eligible serving State Government employees and their dependants, the Sandhya Kiran Scheme focuses on eligible pensioners and family pensioners. The detailed enrolment process, required documents and official registration arrangements for Sandhya Kiran have not yet been specified in the available information. Beneficiaries should therefore wait for the official implementation guidelines before applying.

As of this writing, the Cabinet has approved the scheme's design and financing, but the government has not yet published the formal Government Order, enrolment process, application form, or effective start date. This article reflects the information available immediately after Cabinet approval and will be updated once the government notifies the operational details.

Scheme Benefits

• Eligible families will receive cashless healthcare coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per year on a family-floater basis.
• The scheme will cover secondary, tertiary and emergency healthcare services.
• Beneficiaries can avail treatment at empanelled hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat–Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) system.
• State government pensioners will contribute 1.25% of their basic pension towards the scheme.
• Family pensioners will contribute 0.75% of their basic family pension.
• The scheme is expected to benefit around 3.11 lakh state government pensioners and approximately 4.93 lakh people, including eligible dependants.

Eligibility Requirements

• Karnataka state government pensioners aged below 70 years.
• Family pensioners of Karnataka state government employees.
• Eligible dependent family members of both pensioner categories.
• Eligible dependent differently-abled children, named specifically as a covered beneficiary group.
• Enrolment is voluntary; pensioners are not automatically or compulsorily covered.
• Pensioners aged 70 or above are not covered under the scheme as currently approved.

Required Documents

• The Karnataka government has not released an official list of documents required to enrol in the Sandhya Kiran scheme yet.
• This section will be updated as soon as Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust or the Department of Health and Family Welfare notifies the enrolment requirements.

Steps to Apply

• The Karnataka Government has not yet released the detailed enrolment and application process for the Sandhya Kiran Scheme.
• The scheme will be implemented through the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) under the Ayushman Bharat–Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) framework.
• Eligible pensioners, family pensioners and their eligible dependants should wait for the official enrolment guidelines before applying.
• The government is expected to announce details about beneficiary registration, required documents, application method and access to cashless treatment through empanelled hospitals.
• Applicants should use only the official Karnataka Government or SAST channels when the registration process opens.
• Note: Do not submit personal information through unofficial websites until the government announces the official registration process.

Relevant Links

• Karnataka Sandhya Kiran Scheme Guidelines will be available soon.
• Karnataka Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust
• Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services.
• Karnataka Sandhya Kiran Scheme Details

Contact Information

• Karnataka Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust Contact Details