Cashless Treatment Scheme For Road Accident Victims To Be Implemented Across India

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari says the Centre will roll out nationwide cashless treatment for road accident from March onwards.

Nitin Gadkari said victims will be entitled to cashless treatment up to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh per accident per person.

Source : PTI

After testing cashless treatment for road accident victims in certain states, the Centre is planning to roll out the scheme nationwide by March. Under the scheme, every victim will be entitled to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Tuesday.

He said that the scheme will be applicable to all road accidents caused by the use of motor vehicles on any category of road.

The National Health Authority (NHA) will implement the programme, in coordination with the police, hospitals and the State Health Agency among others. The programmer will be implemented through an IT platform and it will combine the functionalities of the e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) application of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Transaction Management System of NHA.

"The broad contours of the pilot programme are — victims entitled to cashless treatment up to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh per accident per person for a maximum period of 7 days from date of the accident," Gadkari said while addressing a press conference. The modified version will be rolled out in March, he added.

On March 14, 2024, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) launched a pilot programme in Chandigarh to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims. It was aimed at establishing an ecosystem for providing timely medical care to the victims of road accidents, including during the golden hour. The project was later expanded to six other states.

The road transport and highways minister stated that the government is studying labour laws to develop a policy for regulating working hours for commercial drivers, similar to pilots, due to driver fatigue contributing to fatal road crashes. Gadkari also mentioned that India is currently facing a shortage of 22 lakh drivers.

MoRTH organised a two-day workshop on January 6 and 7, 2025, to comprehensively discuss issues, solutions, and the next steps needed to drive transformation in India's road transport sector.

During the two-day workshop, discussions covered the accelerated implementation of the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, nationwide adoption of PUCC 2.0, and timelines for introducing BS-VII norms, along with the expected reduction in pollution from these norms.

Gadkari also launched a scheme for the pan-India establishment of Driver Training Institutes (DTIs), offering incentives for setting up DTIs and additional benefits for integrated ATS and DTI infrastructure. The minister stresses the need for specific regulations and guidelines to improve E-Rickshaw safety, considering their widespread use across the country.

Discussions included the introduction of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for trucks and strict enforcement of retro-reflective tape for transport vehicle safety. The implementation of monitoring centres and vehicle location tracking devices (VLTD) for the safety of women and children was also addressed.

Additionally, the meeting discussed the launch and integration of all faceless services by the end of March 2025.