Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the “Cashless Treatment” scheme, under which the government will cover expenses of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for seven days of treatment for road accident victims.

He said, “We have started a new scheme – Cashless Treatment. Immediately after an accident occurs, within 24 hours, when the information goes to the Police, we will provide expenses for seven-day treatment of the patient who gets admitted or a maximum of up to Rs 1.5 Lakhs for treatment. We will also provide Rs two lakh for the deceased in hit-and-run cases.”

He also underlined that the government’s top priority is road safety, citing the alarming statistic that nearly 1.80 lakh people lost their lives in road accidents in 2024. Of these, 30,000 fatalities were due to not wearing helmets, Gadkari added.

He also emphasised on the scrapping industry to encourage circulation economy in India. He said that Indian automobile industry has moved from 7th to 3rd largest in the world, next only to USA and China.