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Nearly 20 per cent cashless treatment requests of road accident victims rejected since March 2024

NEW DELHI: Out of the total 6,833 treatment requests raised by road accident victims under the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme so far, only 5,480 victims have been found eligible, and the remaining 1,353 cases (nearly 20 per cent) have been rejected by the police, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to Lok Sabha, said the total fund disbursed under the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund is Rs 73,88,848. Out of the total number of 6,833 treatment requests raised, 5,480 victims have been found eligible. The remaining cases have been rejected by the Police, Gadkari said. On March 14, 2024, the ministry launched a pilot programme in Chandigarh, which was later expanded to six states to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims. Under the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025, the victims are entitled to cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh per victim per accident for a maximum period of 7 days from the date of the accident and applicable to all road accidents caused by the use of a motor vehicle on any category of road. Out of the 2,644 claims raised by hospitals and approved by concerned State Health Agency, payment of Rs 73,88,848/- has been disbursed to hospitals, he added. The minister said the reimbursement to hospitals is being done through the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF), which is funded through contributions from General Insurance companies. A total of 32,557 hospitals have been empanelled under the National Health Authority for the cashless treatment of accident victims. Recently, road secretary V Umashankar had said the government will soon formally launch a cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims across India after making suitable modifications in the scheme by incorporating technical and project learning during the pilot project. The scheme is aimed at reducing the number of deaths arising from road accidents every year due to a 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 had said. Responding to another question, Gadkari said the pace of highway project awards has slowed down over the two previous financial years, mainly due to strictly ensuring 90 per cent right of way (ROW) before start, forest & wildlife clearances and approved general arrangement of drawing (GAD) for ROBs/RUBs; and stricter scrutiny of projects. These measures are aimed to ensure smooth implementation without substantial delays, he said.