On Tuesday, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced the provision of cashless treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh for seven days for all crash survivors, which will be expanded to all states by March 2025.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also announced that the ministry will make a mandatory introduction of three new tech-based systems for new buses and trucks, which include an audio warning system to alert the drivers when they are falling asleep.
Thirty-three thousand people were killed by trucks impacting vehicles in 2022, Nitin Gadkari cited a ministry report. For two days, all the state’s transport secretaries and commissioners had a workshop and meeting with the ministry.
He said, “We hope once the scheme is launched, we will be able to help save 50,000 lives by ensuring treatment in the golden hour,”. Gadkari also stated that around 6,840 people have benefitted from this pilot scheme, which is active in states such as Assam, Chandigarh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, and Haryana.
The final scheme will be drawn up by incorporating all the nuances and understanding of the pilots from all such states, said Ministry officials.
Further, a Ministry official said that road fatalities in 2023 increased to 1.72 lakh across India, marking a growth of 4.2% from 2022.
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