The government has stated that there is no proposal to increase the tax deduction limit of ₹5,000 for preventive health check-ups, as part of its policy to simplify the Income Tax Act by reducing exemptions while lowering tax rates. However, efforts are being made to improve early disease detection and healthcare accessibility. The Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative has operationalized 1,76,573 healthcare centers, offering screening for non-communicable diseases, wellness programs, and teleconsultation services, with 33.94 crore consultations conducted as of February 2025. AI integration in healthcare is being promoted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which has developed ethical guidelines for AI in medical research and established the National Institute of Research in Digital Health and Data Sciences. AI-driven projects focus on epidemic intelligence, early disease prediction models, and non-invasive diagnostics. The ICMR-IISc Centre for Medical Image Datasets (MIDAS) is enhancing AI-based medical imaging capabilities. AI-powered epidemiology initiatives are also being used to predict disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, dengue, and malaria.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1981
ANSWERED ON 18.03.2025
REVISION OF TAX LIMIT FOR PREVENTIVE HEALTH CHECK-UPS
1981. SHRI MOHAMMED NADIMUL HAQUE:
Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:
a. whether Government aims to revise the tax deduction limit for preventive health check-ups from ₹5,000, considering the rising costs of comprehensive health checks and 12-14% healthcare inflation rate, if not, the reasons therefor; and
b. the steps being taken to improve early detection and intervention rates for serious conditions and AI integration in risk screening for preventive care?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)
a. There is no such proposal under consideration to increase the tax benefit. It has been the stated policy of the Government to simplify the Income-tax Act, 1961 by removing exemptions and incentives while at the same time reducing the rates of taxes.
b. Through Ayushman Arogya Mandir, comprehensive primary healthcare is provided by strengthening Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs). These Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) provide preventive, promotive, rehabilitative and curative care for an expanded range of services encompassing reproductive and child healthcare services, Communicable diseases, Non-communicable diseases and other health issues. As updated by the States/UTs in AAM portal, a total of 1,76,573 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs with 393.61 crore footfall have been established and operationalized till 28.02.2025
The expanded range of services at these AAMs includes Reproductive and child care services, Communicable diseases, Non-communicable diseases, Palliative Care and elderly Care, Care for common mental disorders, neurological conditions (epilepsy, dementia) and substance use disorders management (tobacco, alcohol, drugs), Oral health ENT care, and Basic emergency care.
Screening services for various Non communicable diseases i.e. hypertension, diabetes, oral cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer etc. along with wellness sessions like Yoga, cycling, and meditation are also conducted at these AAMs. As on 28.02.2025, a total of 107.10 crore screenings are done for hypertension, 94.56 crore for diabetes, 62.66 crore for oral cancer, 28.58 crore for breast cancer, 18.76 crore for cervical cancer and a total of 5.06 cr wellness sessions including yoga have been conducted under Ayushman Arogya Mandir including Ayushman Melas.
Further, the teleconsultation services, available at operational AAMs, enables people to access the specialist services closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, saving cost to care, shortage of service providers and to ensure continuum of care. Total teleconsultation conducted at Ayushman Arogya Mandir including Ayushman Melas are 33.94 cr as on 28.02.2025.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has undertaken several initiatives to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into healthcare for improving patient care, diagnostics, and public health monitoring. The measures taken can be categorized into policy initiatives, facilitating the development of AI-driven healthcare applications, and public health AI interventions.
Policy and infrastructure Measures
ICMR developed Ethical guidelines for application of AI in Biomedical Research in March 2023 with an aim to provide a comprehensive ethical framework for the development, deployment, and adoption of AI-based solutions in biomedical research and healthcare.
ICMR established National institute of Research in Digital Health and Data Sciences in Oct 2024 to advance the integration of digital health and data science into biomedical research and healthcare.
Extramural funding support
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been supporting Investigator initiated projects on developing AI/ML based applications in healthcare. These initiatives focus on developing gold-standard datasets, AI/ML-driven diagnostics, and predictive models for improved disease management. The projects include development of epidemic intelligence platforms, AI-based early disease prediction models, disease burden estimation, predictive analytics for non-communicable diseases, and smartphone-based non-invasive diagnostics. These projects enhance healthcare by enabling early diagnosis, optimizing clinical workflows, and strengthening public health surveillance. The research spans multiple institutions across the country ensuring a broad national impact. Through these strategic investments, ICMR aims to revolutionize healthcare delivery by integrating AI/ML tools for data-driven decision-making, ultimately improving patient outcomes and resource allocation.
ICMR-IISc Centre for Medical Image Datasets (MIDAS) focusing on strengthening the India AI ecosystem in India by providing high-quality, standardized datasets for medical imaging. It is playing a crucial role in AI-driven healthcare innovation, supporting researchers, startups, and clinicians in developing reliable AI solutions while ensuring fair, ethical, and clinically relevant AI applications.
ICMR has initiated many programs on AI-Powered Epidemiology predicting disease outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, dengue, and malaria through AI-based early warning systems.
