Nitin Gadkari Announces Nationwide Cashless Treatment Scheme For Road Accident Victims

New Delhi,: The Central Government will launch a nationwide cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims by March 2025, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on January 7. Under the scheme, victims will be entitled to cashless medical treatment worth up to
1.5 lakh per accident for a maximum of seven days from the date of the accident. The initiative builds on a pilot programme launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in Chandigarh on March 14, 2024, which was later expanded to six states. The scheme aims to ensure timely medical care for road accident victims, particularly during the critical “golden hour.” The National Health Authority (NHA) will serve as the
implementing agency, coordinating with police, hospitals, and state health agencies. The scheme will be executed through an IT platform integrating MoRTH’s e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) application and the NHA’s Transaction Management System. Speaking at a pressconference, Gadkari
emphasized the importance of addressing road safety challenges in India. He noted that driver fatigue is a major cause of road accidents and highlighted plans to introduce regulations for commercial drivers’ working hours, similar to those for pilots. During a two-day workshop organized by MoRTH on January 6 and 7, discussions included accelerating the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, adopting PUCC 2.0 nationwide, and establishing timelines for implementing BS-VII emission norms to reduce pollution. This cashless treatment initiative is a significant step toward improving road safety and ensuring timely medical support for accident victims across India. As per the minister, road safety was the key aspect of the day’s discussion at the transport ministers’ meeting. In 2023, India recorded 1.73 lakh deaths due to road accidents, out of which 30,000 occurred due to not wearing helmets. Furthermore, Gadkari said that the country requires 22 lakh trained drivers, for which a decision has been made to set up training centres across the country.