Nitin Gadkari unveils ‘cashless treatment’ scheme for road accident victims

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the launch of the “Cashless Treatment” scheme to provide financial aid to road accident victims. Under the scheme, the government will cover treatment costs of up to ₹1.5 lakh for seven days, provided the police are informed about the accident within 24 hours.

Speaking at a meeting with state and union territory transport ministers at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi, Gadkari also revealed an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh for families of victims who lose their lives in hit-and-run cases.

“We have initiated a new scheme called Cashless Treatment. Once the police are informed of the accident within 24 hours, the government will bear treatment costs for up to seven days or a maximum of ₹1.5 lakh. Additionally, for hit-and-run cases, ₹2 lakh will be given to the families of the deceased,” Gadkari added.

The minister emphasized that road safety remains the government’s top priority, citing alarming statistics from 2024. According to Gadkari, 1.8 lakh fatalities occurred due to road accidents last year, with 30,000 deaths attributed to not wearing helmets. He highlighted that 66% of these accidents involved individuals aged between 18 and 34.

Gadkari also drew attention to the deaths of 10,000 children in accidents caused by poor safety measures near schools and colleges. “These deaths occurred due to inadequate arrangements at entry and exit points of educational institutions. We have now introduced rules for autorickshaws and minibuses transporting school children to address this issue,” he said.

The meeting served as a platform for collaborative discussions between the central and state governments on transportation policies and strategies to improve road safety across the country. Gadkari urged a collective effort to identify and address accident-prone “black spots” to minimize fatalities.