A new government scheme has come into effect from May 5, giving road accident victims across India access to free medical care worth up to ₹1.5 lakh during the first seven days after an accident.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) announced the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025, in a recent notification.
The scheme has been introduced to help save lives by providing immediate treatment to those injured in road crashes, which often prove fatal due to delays in medical attention.
What's the notification
"Any person being a victim of a road accident arising out of the use of a motor vehicle, occurring on any road, shall be entitled to cashless treatment in accordance with the provisions of this scheme," the notification, cited in a PTI news agency report, said.
The National Health Authority (NHA) will manage the scheme with support from state health agencies, police, and hospitals. Victims can get free treatment at approved hospitals, with the maximum amount capped at ₹1.5 lakh for up to seven days.
If the victim is taken to a non-designated hospital, only basic stabilisation treatment will be provided as per set guidelines.
"The victim shall be entitled to cashless treatment at any designated hospital for an amount up to one lakh fifty thousand rupees per victim for a maximum period of seven days from the date of such accident," it added.
Each state or Union Territory’s Road Safety Council will lead the scheme’s local implementation and handle coordination with NHA for hospital registration, victim care, and payments.
To oversee the programme, the government has also formed an 11-member steering group headed by the Road Secretary. The committee includes the CEO of NHA and a senior MoRTH official.
Earlier, a trial of the scheme was held in Chandigarh from March 2024 and later expanded to six states. Recently, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari shared that India recorded 4.80 lakh road accidents in 2023, which led to 1.72 lakh deaths. The government hopes this new initiative will bring those numbers down.
(With PTI inputs)