IndiaAI Mission honours winners of AB PM-JAY Auto-Adjudication Hackathon Showcase 2026

The hackathon focused on solving operational challenges within Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), one of the world’s largest publicly funded healthcare assurance programmes.

In a major step toward integrating Artificial Intelligence into India's public healthcare infrastructure, the IndiaAI Mission, in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has honoured winners of the AB PM-JAY Auto-Adjudication Hackathon Showcase 2026, recognising breakthrough AI-driven solutions designed to modernise claims processing and fraud detection under Ayushman Bharat.

The winners were felicitated during a two-day national showcase held at IISc Bengaluru on 9 May 2026, where innovators, AI researchers and healthcare technology experts presented advanced solutions aimed at improving the speed, transparency and accuracy of claims adjudication within India's flagship public health assurance programme.

The initiative reflects the Government of India's growing push to integrate emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning and digital analytics into large-scale governance and welfare systems.

AI Innovation Targeted at One of the World's Largest Health Schemes

The hackathon focused on solving operational challenges within Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), one of the world's largest publicly funded healthcare assurance programmes.

AB PM-JAY processes a massive volume of health insurance claims daily across more than 1,900 treatment packages, making efficient adjudication and fraud prevention increasingly critical to the programme's sustainability and effectiveness.

Officials said the hackathon was specifically designed to encourage development of AI-powered systems capable of:

• Accelerating claims adjudication

• Improving accuracy in approvals

• Reducing manual verification burdens

• Enhancing fraud detection capabilities

• Increasing transparency

• Supporting evidence-based healthcare validation

The event was organised jointly by the IndiaAI Mission, NHA and IISc Bengaluru as part of broader efforts to modernise India's digital public infrastructure ecosystem.

Senior Government Leaders Attend Showcase

The showcase event was attended by senior government and institutional leaders, including:

• Shri Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO, National Health Authority

• Shri Abhishek Singh, Director General, National Testing Agency

• Ms. Jyoti Yadav, Joint Secretary, NHA

• Ms. Shikha Dahiya, Joint Director, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

Officials felicitated innovators whose solutions demonstrated strong potential to improve the AI-driven adjudication of healthcare claims and strengthen integrity within the public health insurance ecosystem.

Three Critical Healthcare AI Challenges Addressed

The hackathon invited innovators to develop solutions around three high-priority problem statements central to healthcare claims processing and fraud prevention under AB PM-JAY.

1. Clinical Document Classification and STG Compliance

The first challenge focused on automating the reading and verification of healthcare documents submitted during claims processing.

Participants were tasked with building systems capable of:

• Reading mixed-quality medical documents

• Extracting critical patient and treatment data

• Identifying mandatory visual elements

• Checking compliance with Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) issued by NHA

Healthcare experts say automating document verification could dramatically reduce adjudication delays and improve consistency in claim approvals.

Winners:

• Winner: Shri Vinay Babu Ulli

• Runner-Up: Ms. Khushi Singh

• Second Runner-Up: Shri Vijay Balaji

AI Used for Radiological Image Verification

2. Radiological Image-Based Condition Detection and Report Correlation

The second problem statement focused on the growing need for automated verification of medical imaging evidence submitted in healthcare claims.

Participants developed AI systems capable of:

• Analysing X-rays, CT scans and MRI images

• Detecting medical conditions from radiological evidence

• Comparing imaging results with accompanying reports

• Validating compliance with treatment guidelines

Experts say such systems could significantly improve both efficiency and accuracy in healthcare claims adjudication while reducing the risk of fraudulent or exaggerated claims.

Winners:

• Winner: Shri Harish Kumar

• Runner-Up: Shri Bharath Varma Sangaraju

• Second Runner-Up: Shri Arnold Sachith

Deepfake and Fraud Detection Take Centre Stage

3. Document Forgery and Deepfake Detection

One of the most technologically advanced categories addressed the rising challenge of synthetic fraud and AI-generated document manipulation within healthcare systems.

Participants were asked to build tools capable of detecting:

• Forged discharge summaries

• Manipulated medical bills

• Fake patient identities

• AI-generated or tampered documents

• Deepfake artefacts in healthcare submissions

As generative AI technologies become more sophisticated, experts warn that healthcare systems worldwide face increasing risks from digitally manipulated records and synthetic fraud.

Officials say proactive AI-driven fraud detection mechanisms will become increasingly essential in protecting public healthcare funds.

Winners:

• Winner: Shri Praveen Sridhar

• Runner-Up: Shri Nikhileswara Rao Sulake

• Second Runner-Up: Shri Sumanth Naidu Mathireddy

Winning Solutions Receive National Recognition

Winning teams across the three categories received cash awards aimed at encouraging further innovation and development.

Prize Structure:

• First Prize: ₹5 lakh

• Second Prize: ₹3 lakh

• Third Prize: ₹2 lakh

Government officials indicated that selected solutions may be considered for future integration and deployment within the AB PM-JAY ecosystem.

This opens the possibility for homegrown AI innovations developed through the hackathon to eventually support real-world healthcare governance and insurance processing at national scale.

India Accelerates AI Integration in Public Services

The hackathon forms part of India's broader strategy to deploy Artificial Intelligence across governance, healthcare, education and public service delivery systems.

The IndiaAI Mission has increasingly focused on promoting responsible and scalable AI solutions capable of addressing large-scale administrative challenges while improving citizen services.

Healthcare analysts say AI-powered adjudication systems could potentially:

• Reduce claim settlement times

• Lower operational costs

• Improve fraud prevention

• Increase healthcare access efficiency

• Enhance transparency

• Improve patient trust

• Support evidence-based healthcare governance

Given the enormous scale of India's healthcare schemes, experts believe AI adoption could become a critical enabler of long-term sustainability and efficiency.

IISc Bengaluru Emerges as Innovation Hub

The event also reinforced IISc Bengaluru's growing role as a national hub for advanced technology research and public sector innovation.

By bringing together government agencies, AI innovators, healthcare specialists and academic researchers, the showcase highlighted the increasing convergence between deep technology and public administration in India.

Technology experts say such collaborations are essential for building indigenous AI capabilities aligned with India's developmental priorities and digital governance ambitions.

Future of Public Healthcare Becoming Increasingly AI-Driven

As healthcare systems worldwide grapple with rising costs, fraud risks and administrative complexity, India's efforts to integrate AI into public health insurance are being closely watched.

Officials say the success of initiatives like the AB PM-JAY Auto-Adjudication Hackathon demonstrates how AI can strengthen governance while improving service delivery for millions of citizens.

The showcase is also expected to contribute toward building a future-ready healthcare ecosystem where automation, analytics and intelligent systems support faster, more transparent and more accountable public healthcare administration.