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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Rupee falls 20 paise to 95.43 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 20 paise to 95.43 against US dollar in early trade on Tuesday as market sentiments remained fragile after renewed military exchanges between US and Iranian forces in the Gulf region.
Forex traders said investor anxiety due to instability in the Gulf is causing massive capital flight into safe-haven assets, with the US dollar acting as the primary beneficiary.
Moreover, Brent oil prices is hovering near USD 113 per barrel, maintaining pressure on oil-importing economies like India.
At the interbank foreign exchange market the rupee opened at 95.30 then lost ground to touch 95.43 against the US dollar, in initial trade, registering a fall of 20 paise over its previous close.
Rupee fell 39 paise to close at an all-time low of 95.23 against the US dollar on Monday.
"With oil boiling rupee on Monday fell to a closing low of 95.0875 and this morning the opening was still lower as it becomes more and more vulnerable when dollar index rises due to safe-haven buying and oil prices rise due to the continuous fighting in the Gulf Region," Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, said.
The higher oil prices will keep rupee sold off against the dollar as oil companies and FPIs intensify dollar buying, Bhansali added.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.51, up 0.15 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 1.07 per cent at USD 113.22 per barrel in futures trade.
"Market sentiments remained fragile after renewed military exchanges between US and Iranian forces when Iranian forces launched fresh attacks in the Gulf as both sides sought to assert control over the strategic waterway," Bhansali said.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex declined 361.62 points to 76,907.78 in early trade, while the Nifty dropped 134.90 points to 23,980.60.
Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 2,835.62 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.
