Higher Rahveer reward to drive UP Road Safety Week push

The incentive will be given only if the victim is taken to a hospital within the golden hour and is found to be in critical condition

: The Union government’s decision to increase the reward under the Rahveer Yojana fivefold, from ₹5,000 to ₹25,000, is expected to strongly motivate citizens to help road accident victims during the critical “golden hour”, transport officials said on Wednesday. The reward will be widely promoted during Road Safety Month, which will be observed from January 1, 2026, officials of the Lucknow Divisional Transport Office (DTO) said.

Senior officials said awareness campaigns and public outreach programmes will be carried out during Road Safety Month from January 1, 2026, to promote the Rahveer Yojana and reduce avoidable road accident deaths across the state. (For representation only)

“People usually gather at accident spots but hesitate to help due to fear of legal issues or lack of motivation,” said RTO (Enforcement) officer Prabhat Pandey. “The earlier reward did not have much impact. With ₹25,000 now being offered, we expect more people to come forward and take victims to hospitals without wasting the golden hour.”

Officials said the revised Rahveer Yojana reflects a shift in policy focus, giving priority to life-saving action rather than post-accident compensation. Under the scheme, a person can receive ₹25,000 for each instance of helping an injured accident victim, up to five times in a year. The reward amount will be credited directly to the helper’s bank account after verification. The incentive will be given only if the victim is taken to a hospital within the golden hour and is found to be in critical condition. The injured person must also be admitted for at least three days or undergo surgery.

To prevent misuse, each case will be verified by a joint committee including officials from the district magistrate’s office, the chief medical officer, the assistant regional transport office and the health department. After approval, the case will be sent to the transport department’s head office for release of funds. Senior officials said awareness campaigns and public outreach programmes will be carried out during Road Safety Month from January 1, 2026, to promote the Rahveer Yojana and reduce avoidable road accident deaths across the state.