India, May 21 -- The Punjab government on Thursday said its Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is helping families reduce the financial burden of medical treatment by offering annual cashless healthcare coverage of up to Rs.10 lakh per family.

According to the government, the scheme has already benefited more than 1.59 lakh people across the state and aims to provide relief to middle-class families, government employees, pensioners and other residents facing rising healthcare costs.

The government said the scheme was introduced against the backdrop of increasing out-of-pocket medical expenditure in India, particularly for serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Officials said many families are often pushed into debt because of hospita...