Government to launch cashless treatment scheme of up to ₹1.5 lakh for road accident victims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch a nationwide cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims, offering coverage of up to ₹1.5 lakh and a cash award for Good Samaritans who rush victims to hospitals.

The scheme will cover road accidents anywhere in the country, and not just on national highways, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said during a two-day conference of Transport Ministers, Secretaries and Commissioners of all States and Union Territories here.

AIIMS study

Mr. Gadkari cited an AIIMS study and said road fatalities could be reduced by 30% if there were timely medical interventions. The first 60 minutes after a severe accident is known as the Golden Hour, during which immediate and necessary medical attention could increase the survival rate of a victim.

The medical coverage would be under the third-party insurance bought at the time of a car purchase, and where a vehicle was not insured, the government would fund the medical expenses under the Road Safety Fund.

A person who brings such a victim to the hospital, whom the government has termed rahavir, would also be given a cash award of ₹25,000. This could not be claimed by more than one individual, Mr. Gadkari said.

Pilot successful

A pilot for cashless treatment had been successfully carried out in Assam, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Puducherry.

The government also plans to bring a slew of amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which will include recommendations made by States during the two-day conference. These will first be approved by the Union Cabinet before being brought to Parliament. The amendments will include aspects such as road safety, ease of doing business by simplifying regulations, citizen services, improved mobility, emission regulations, and harmonisation with global standards.