Published 20:58 IST, January 7th 2025
Cashless Treatment For Road Accident Victims: Nitin Gadkari Launches New Scheme
Union Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday, launched a new scheme to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims.
New Delhi: Union Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday, launched a new scheme to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims. The scheme, announced on January 7, aims to provide immediate medical assistance to victims, ensuring they receive timely treatment. According to Gadkari, once the police are informed within 24 hours of the accident, the scheme will immediately provide for the victim’s cost of treatment for 7 days or a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh.
Not only this, in case of death in a hit-and-run case, the immediate family of the deceased person will receive Rs 2 lakh. “We piloted this cashless project in some states. We noticed some weaknesses in the scheme. We are improving them and this will definitely be beneficial,” the Union Minister said after meeting with the transport ministers of several states at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam.
Here's How The Scheme Works:
- Eligibility: Road accident victims are eligible for cashless treatment if the police are informed within 24 hours of the accident.
- Treatment Costs: The scheme will cover treatment costs for up to 7 days or a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh.
- Hit-and-Run Cases: In cases of death due to hit-and-run accidents, the immediate family of the deceased will receive Rs 2 lakh.
Addressing the media personnel at the event, Nitin Gadkari mentioned that the scheme was piloted in some states, and after identifying weaknesses, improvements are being made. He expressed confidence that the scheme will be beneficial.
The scheme is part of the government's efforts to reduce fatalities due to road accidents. According to Gadkari, 1.8 lakh people died in road accidents in 2024, with 30,000 deaths attributed to not wearing helmets.
“Our top priority was road safety. 1.8 lakh people died in road accidents in 2024. Among these, 30,000 people died due to not wearing helmets. Another grave matter is that 66% of the victims of fatal accidents belonged to the age group of 18-34 years. 10,000 kids have died due to faulty entry and exit points in our schools and colleges,” Gadkari said.
“Accidents caused by people without driving licenses have caused around 3,000 deaths. One of the important agendas of our meeting was driving training centres. There is a lack of 22 lakh drivers in our country. We have also made a new policy on that,” he added.
Talking about the scrapping of old vehicles, the Union Minister said, “Our automobile sector will grow profoundly because of scrapping. Because aluminum, copper, steel and plastic are recycled.”
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Updated 20:58 IST, January 7th 2025