Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims

Why in News?

• Recently, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims.
• This initiative is an important step towards tackling the rising number of road accidents in India and providing financial relief to the victim families.

Cashless Treatment Scheme:

1. Medical Expenses Cover:
   • Medical expenses up to seven days after the accident or up to a maximum of ₹1.5 lakh will be covered.
   • It is mandatory to report the accident to the police within 24 hours.
2. Compensation for hit-and-run cases:
   • In hit-and-run cases, the relatives of the deceased will be given a compensation of ₹2 lakh.
3. Implementation and Expansion:
   • This scheme was first implemented as a pilot project in some states.
   • It will soon be implemented across the country after refining it.

Road accident statistics in India

1. Statistics of 2024:
   • 1.8 lakh people died in road accidents across India.
   • ​​30,000 deaths were recorded due to not wearing helmets.
2. Age group:
   • 66% of fatal accident victims were youth aged 18 to 34 years.
   • 10,000 children died due to faulty entry and exit points near schools and colleges.
3. Lack of drivers:
   • Lack of trained drivers remains a serious problem in India, with about 22 lakh drivers required.

Government steps

1. Driving training centers:
   • To overcome the shortage of drivers, the government has formulated a policy to set up more driving training centers.
2. Improve road safety:
   • Ensuring better infrastructure near schools and colleges.
   • Extensive awareness campaigns to prevent accidents.
3. Other schemes:
   • Improving road infrastructure and using technological solutions.
   • Ensuring strict compliance of traffic rules.