Eight states and four Union Territories have signed MoUs with the Union Health Ministry to implement the government's ambitious scheme Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission.

The schemes aim to provide a cover of five lakh rupees per family annually to ten crore vulnerable families. A beneficiary will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public and private empanelled hospitals across the country.

An official said, the eight states which signed the MoUs include Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. The Union Territory of Chandigarh is among the four UTs.

He said, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Tamil Nadu are among those that will sign the agreement soon.

Through the MoUs, the states and Union Territories formally committed to implementing the health programme. The MoU outlines the role of central and state governments in implementing the scheme.