The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced the government’s decision to launch the flagship healthcare programme in his Budget speech on February 1.

Under the scheme, up to Rs 5 lakh each will be provided to 10 crore families every year for secondary and tertiary healthcare services. Jaitley had called it the “world’s largest state-funded health programme”.

The government has allocated Rs 1,200 crore for the two initiatives under the programme.