New Delhi, February 2: The mega healthcare scheme announced in the Budget will entail an investment of Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 crore and is likely to be launched on either August 15 or October 2, said official sources. The premium for every household for the insurance scheme is expected to be around Rs 1,000-1,200 annually.

The expenditure on the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), which seeks to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh to 10 crore households, will be borne jointly by the Centre and the states, said Niti Aayog advisor Alok Kumar.

The scheme has been touted as the world's largest government-funded health care programme.  While the Centre will bear an annual burden of around Rs 5,000-6,000 crore towards premium on health cover, the remaining amount will come from the state governments, he said.

Kumar further said that the premium for each household for the insurance cover would work out to be between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,200, which will be borne by the state.