Cashless Treatment for Road Accident Victims: Gadkari Unveils Rs 1.5 Lakh Aid Scheme, Mandatory Safety Tech for Heavy Vehicles

New Delhi: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has unveiled a pathbreaking scheme to ensure cashless treatment for road accident victims, effective from March 2025. The scheme will enhance road safety and access to health care with up to seven days of treatment for every individual and maximum coverage of Rs 1.5 lakh. The National Health Authority will manage the implementation of the scheme.

The announcement was made during the 42nd Transport Development Council (TDC) meeting, where road safety emerged as a top priority. Gadkari emphasized the need for stricter regulations to reduce road accidents, which claimed 1.80 lakh lives in 2024.

1. Cashless Treatment Nationwide: Following a successful pilot in six states, the scheme will now be extended across India, ensuring swift and accessible medical care for accident victims.
2. Compulsory Safety Features for Heavy Commercial Vehicles:

• All heavy commercial vehicles, including buses and trucks, must have installed three of the advanced safety features:
  • Electronic Stability Control
  • Automatic Emergency Braking System
  • Driver Drowsiness Alert System
• These systems are designed to avoid collisions and warn the driver in case of drowsiness, similar to the ‘Kavach’ train safety system.

1. Driver Training and Licensing Policy:

• The Ministry will open 1,250 training and fitness centers across the country at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore.
• The scheme will train 25 lakh new drivers and provide jobs to more than 15 lakh people.
• It will also provide automated testing stations in each district to ensure vehicle fitness.

1. Driver Regulations and Shortage Solutions:

• India is short of 2.2 million drivers. To mitigate this, a proposal is under consideration to link vehicle ignition with Aadhaar-linked driver cards. The system will not allow continuous driving beyond eight hours and will enforce breaks for safety.

1. Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill: Gadkari has announced that the revised bill will be presented in the next Parliament session to strengthen road safety laws.

Referring to the sad Jaipur accident, Gadkari noted the threat posed by driver drowsiness and demanded working hours be regulated stringently as the Europeans have practiced. Thus, the council’s meeting was wound up with an obligation to develop more road safety measure to decrease India’s fatal figures and efficiency of transportation.