Union Minister of Road, Transport, & Highways, Nitin Gadkari has raised the reward money to help out road accident victims. According to recent reports, the central government will increase the reward for “Good Samaritans” helping accident victims by five times from Rs. 5,000 to Rs 25,000.
The Minister made this announcement at a road safety program in Nagpur also attended by actor Anupam Kher.
Who is a 'Good Samaritan'?
As mentioned on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways website, a “Good Samaritan is a person who, in good faith, without expectation of payment or reward and without any duty of care or special relationship, voluntarily comes forward to administer immediate assistance or emergency care to a person injured in an accident, or crash, or emergency medical condition, or emergency situation.”
The award scheme
First launched in October 2021, this scheme aimed to reward the person who saved the life of an accident victim by providing immediate assistance and rushing to the hospital/trauma care centre within the Golden Hour (first hour) of the accident to provide medical treatment.
The increase in cash reward will be applicable on national and state highways, district, city, and Gram Panchayat roads. Speaking at the event, Gadkari shared that the current reward was not enough for a person who rushes road accident victims to hospitals in the crucial first hour of the accident.
Incidentally, the Government also has a provision for an accident victim to avail cashless medical benefits of up to Rs 1.5 lakh after an FIR is registered.
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