Cashless treatment to road accident victims is a long pending demand that the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) is prioritising in the third term of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Just before the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls in March, the Ministry had launched the pilot of the project in Chandigarh allowing victims to avail free treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh per accident per person for a maximum period of seven days from the date of the incident. Following the positive results, the Ministry on Tuesday issued a statement reminding the road users to ensure they have a valid third party insurance.
“Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, requires motor vehicles plying on Indian roads to compulsorily have an insurance policy covering third party risks,” the statement said.
The Ministry said that in addition to being a legal requirement, having a motor third party insurance cover is an important aspect of being a responsible road user as it provides support to victims in case of accidents or damages.
“Those who drive or allow an uninsured vehicle to be driven without a valid motor third party insurance are liable to be punished, including imprisonment, for violation of the law,” the Ministry added.
Offenders are punishable under section 196 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. In the first instance, the offenders will be imprisoned for up to three months or fine of Rs 2,000 or both. On subsequent offence, they may face imprisonment up to three months or fine of Rs 4,000 or both.
The penalty provisions will be imposed by the enforcement officials on those vehicles which are found to be plying without a valid motor third party insurance cover.
“Vehicle owners need to check the status of motor third party insurance of their respective motor vehicles and obtain / renew their insurance at the earliest, if not done already,” the Ministry said.
The initiative is among the series of efforts of the Ministry to check road accidents and fatalities.
THE PILOT
In March, the Ministry launched a pilot to provide cashless treatment to the victims of road accidents caused by the use of motor vehicles in Chandigarh. Under this, an individual can avail cashless treatment up to a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh per accident within seven days from date of accident.
While launching the project MoRTH had said that based on the outcome of the pilot program, expansion of the cashless treatment facility to the entire country will be considered. It is applicable to all road accidents caused by use of motor vehicles on any category of road.
“The pilot programme is being initiated in Chandigarh and is aimed at establishing an ecosystem for providing timely medical care to the victims of road accidents, including during the golden hour,” the Ministry said.
The National Health Authority will be the implementing agency for the pilot program, in coordination with police, hospitals, State Health Agency (SHA), etc, the Ministry added. According to the ministry’s latest accident report – Road Accidents in India 2022 – 4.61 lakh road accidents were reported in 2022, killing 1.68 lakh people and injuring 4.43 lakh.
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