PM-RAHAT offers Rs1.5L cashless treatment for accident victims

The Centre has rolled out the Prime Minister–Road Accident Victims’ Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment (PM-RAHAT) Scheme, which provides cashless medical treatment of up to Rs1.5 lakh for victims of road accidents, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister 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 Rs1.5 lakh for a maximum period of seven days from the date of the accident, regardless of the category of road where the accident occurs.The scheme has been notified under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2026. Authorities have also issued detailed operational guidelines and standard operating procedures for its implementation.
According to the ministry, 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.Officials said the PM-RAHAT scheme will take precedence over any other central or state-level programmes providing accident treatment benefits.To streamline implementation, the government has integrated 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 for maintaining treatment records, claims and payments.
Payments to hospitals will be made through the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which is financed through contributions from general insurance companies when the offending vehicle is insured, and through government budgetary support in uninsured and hit-and-run cases.The scheme has also been linked to the 112 Emergency Response Support System, enabling victims or Good Samaritans to identify the nearest designated hospital or request ambulance services.
Once a victim is admitted, hospitals must initiate treatment under predefined health benefit packages developed by the National Health Authority while the police begin authentication through the eDAR platform. Police have up to 24 hours to respond on the system, which may extend to 48 hours in life-threatening cases.Officials said the digital integration creates a complete electronic 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 will automatically qualify as designated hospitals. As of March 9, 2026, a total of 36,112 hospitals are empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.To ensure transparency and timely settlement of claims, payments to hospitals will be processed within 10 days after approval by the State Health Agency.
A multi-tier grievance redressal mechanism has also been established. District Road Safety Committees will monitor implementation at the district level, while unresolved complaints may be escalated to the District Collector and the State Road Safety Council. At the national level, an inter-ministerial steering committee will oversee the programme’s implementation.Gadkari said the scheme aims to ensure timely and uninterrupted medical care for accident victims, particularly during the critical “golden hour” immediately following a road accident.