Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has announced a scheme to appreciate efforts of people who save life of a road accident victim.
The government has said anyone who saves the life of a road accident victim by rushing them to a hospital within the “golden hour” will be rewarded for their effort. The Union ministry of road transport and highways has issued guidelines for the scheme.
The scheme will begin from October 15, 2021, till March 31, 2026.
The objective of the scheme is to motivate the general public to help the road accident victims in emergency situation, inspire and motivate others to save innocent lives.
“The scheme for grant of an award to the Good Samaritan who has saved the life of a victim of a fatal accident involving a motor vehicle by administering immediate assistance and rushing to hospital/trauma Care Centre within the Golden Hour of the accident to provide medical treatment,” reads the notification.
“The amount of award for each Good Samaritan would be Rs. 5,000 per incident. Every cash award would be accompanied with a certification of appreciation,” it said.
“Golden hour is the one hour period after a traumatic injury and there is the highest likelihood of preventing death by providing prompt medical care to the victim” it explained.
According to the ministry’s guidelines, an individual Good Samaritan can be awarded a maximum of five times a year. The ministry also said there will be 10 national-level awards for the most worthy Good Samaritans, who will be selected from all those who have been awarded during an entire year, and they would be given an award of Rs 1,00,000 each.
“If more than one Good Samaritan saves the life of more than one victim, the amount of award will be Rs 5,000 for every person saved, subject to a maximum of Rs 5,000 per Good Samaritan” the notification reads. The ministry said it will provide Rs 5 lakh as an initial grant to the transport department of states and Union territories for rewarding the Good Samaritans.