Govt notifies cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims nationwide
New Delhi (PTI): Road accident victims all over India will be entitled for cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for the first seven days at designated hospitals, said a notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued on Tuesday.
According to a gazette notification, the (Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025) scheme has come into force with effect from May 5, 2025.
The scheme is aimed at reducing the number of deaths arising from road accidents every year due to delay in timely medical intervention.
"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 said.
The National Health Authority (NHA) shall be the implementing agency for the programme, in coordination with police, hospitals and State Health Agencies etc.
"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.
According to the notification, the treatment under this scheme at a hospital, other than a designated hospital, shall be for stabilisation purposes only and shall be as specified by the guidelines.
As per the notification, the State Road Safety Council shall be the nodal agency for implementation of the scheme for that state or Union Territory and would be responsible for coordinating with the National Health Authority for adoption and utilisation of the portal for onboarding of designated hospitals, treatment of victims, payment to the designated hospital on treatment and related matters.
The government has also set up an 11-member steering committee under the road secretary to monitor the implementation of the scheme.
The committee will comprise CEO of National Health Authority, and additional secretary of MoRTH as members.
On March 14, 2024, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had launched a pilot programme in Chandigarh which was later expanded to six states to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims.
Recently, Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari had said that there were 4.80 lakh road accidents in 2023, resulting in 1.72 lakh deaths.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
