PM-RAHAT scheme offers cashless treatment up to ₹1.5 lakh for road accident victims: Gadkari

The Centre has rolled out the Prime Minister–Road Accident Victims’ Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment (PM-RAHAT) Scheme to provide cashless treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh for victims of road accidents, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Under the scheme, victims of road accidents involving motor vehicles will be eligible for treatment coverage of up to ₹1.5 lakh for a maximum of seven days from the date of the accident, irrespective of the category of road on which the accident occurs.

The scheme, notified under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, was launched by the Prime Minister on February 13, 2026. Detailed operational guidelines and standard operating procedures have been issued for its implementation.

According to the ministry, road accident victims will receive stabilisation treatment for up to 24 hours in non-life-threatening cases and up to 48 hours in life-threatening situations at designated hospitals, subject to police response.

The PM-RAHAT scheme will take precedence over any other central or state-level schemes for accident treatment.

Authorities said the scheme has been implemented by integrating the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) platform used by police for accident reporting with the Transaction Management System (TMS 2.0) used by hospitals under the National Health Authority (NHA) for treatment records, claims and payments.

Payments to hospitals will be made through the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF), which is financed through contributions from general insurance companies in cases where the offending vehicle is insured, and through government budgetary support for uninsured and hit-and-run cases.

The scheme is also linked with the 112 Emergency Response Support System, enabling victims or Good Samaritans to locate the nearest designated hospital or request an ambulance.

Once a victim is admitted, hospitals must initiate treatment under predefined health benefit packages developed by the NHA while the police begin the process of authentication through the eDAR system. Police have up to 24 hours to respond on the platform, or up to 48 hours in life-threatening cases.

Officials said the system creates a complete digital trail from accident reporting to hospital admission, treatment, police verification, claim processing and final payment.

Hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) that meet the scheme guidelines are deemed designated hospitals for the programme. As of March 9, 2026, 36,112 hospitals are empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

To ensure transparency, the scheme operates through an end-to-end digital workflow linking accident data with treatment records. Payments to hospitals are to be made within 10 days of claim approval by the State Health Agency.

A multi-tier grievance redressal system has also been put in place. District Road Safety Committees will monitor implementation at the district level, while unresolved grievances can be escalated to the District Collector and the State Road Safety Council. At the national level, an inter-ministerial steering committee will oversee implementation.

Gadkari said the scheme aims to ensure timely and uninterrupted medical care to road accident victims, particularly during the critical “golden hour” following an accident.