Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has unveiled the "Cashless Treatment" scheme, which will provide financial support for road accident victims. Under this initiative, the government will cover treatment expenses of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for a duration of seven days. Gadkari clarified that the government will assume the treatment costs if the police are notified about the accident within 24 hours.
The Union Minister also revealed that families of victims who lose their lives in hit-and-run accidents will receive an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh.
"We have started a new scheme - Cashless Treatment. Immediately after an accident occurs, within 24 hours, when the information goes to the Police, we will provide expenses for seven-day treatment of the patient who gets admitted or a maximum of up to Rs 1.5 Lakhs for treatment. We will also provide Rs two lakh for the deceased in hit-and-run cases," said the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways.
Also Read| Road Accident Deaths in 2024: 30,000 Lives Lost Due to Not Wearing Helmets, Says Nitin Gadkari.
Nitin Gadkari said that road safety remains the government's top priority, citing that nearly 1.80 lakh people died in road accidents in 2024, with 30,000 fatalities linked to not wearing helmets. He also highlighted that 66% of accidents occurred among individuals aged 18 to 34.
"10,000 children have died due to a lack of proper arrangement at the exit-entry point in front of our schools and colleges. Rules have also been made for the autorickshaws and minibuses for schools as there have been significant number of deaths due to this. After identifying all the black spots, everyone decided together that we would try to reduce it," he said.