On one hand, there has been an increase in road accidents in India. At the same time, according to a news report, starting March 2025, injured people in road accidents will receive free treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh. This rule will also be mandatory for private hospitals and will be implemented nationwide. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will serve as the nodal agency for this initiative.
To facilitate this scheme, necessary amendments have already been made to Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. Prior to the full implementation of the scheme, a pilot project was conducted in six states, including Puducherry, Assam, Haryana, and Punjab, over the last five months, which proved to be very successful.
Gadkari announced official launch of the scheme
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways initiated a major pilot project, the Cashless Treatment Scheme, on March 14, 2024, aimed at providing cashless treatment to road accident victims. Following this, on January 7, 2025, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the official launch of the scheme across the country.
The scheme was to come into force from March 1 but on official confirmation has been made so far. The Ministry of Road Transport has said it would soon be implemented across the country.
Both pvt and govt hospitals will be required to offer cashless treatment
Both private and government hospitals will be required to offer cashless treatment. The NHAI stated that as soon as the police or any citizen or institution brings an injured person to the hospital, treatment will commence immediately without any upfront fees. The hospital will ensure proper care for the injured, regardless of whether they are accompanied by family members. The entire financial management of this initiative will be overseen by the NHAI.
Under the new rules, in the event of a road accident anywhere in the country, the injured person will be eligible for a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh from the Government of India for treatment, which will cover expenses for up to seven days in the hospital.
Uniform Toll Policy in Progress
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari mentioned that the Ministry of Road Transport is also working on a uniform toll policy to alleviate the burden on passengers using national highways. Gadkari said that India's highway infrastructure is now comparable to that of America.
Over the past ten years, toll fees have increased due to the expansion of toll collection on more highway sections, leading to growing dissatisfaction among passengers. The total toll collection in India reached Rs 64,809.86 crore in 2023-24, reflecting a 35% increase from the previous year, compared to Rs 27,503 crore in 2019-20.
Minister Gadkari expressed confidence that the Ministry of Highways will surpass the previous record of constructing 37 km of highway per day achieved in 2020-21 during the current financial year, with around 7,000 kilometers of highways already constructed.
Prakash Kumar Pandey
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