New Delhi [India], January 11 : Appreciating the centre for announcing the 'Cashless Treatment' scheme to cover expenses of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for seven days of treatment for road accident victims, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that he feels happy that the central government has learnt from 'Farishte Yojana' run by the Delhi government and requested Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to remove the limit of Rs. 1.5 lakh from this scheme, saying that there is nothing more precious than human life.
"I am happy that the Centre is also thinking about it after learning from the 'Farishte Yojana' of Delhi. My only request to Gadkari ji is to remove the limit of Rs 1.5 lakh from this scheme. Accidents never have a limit. There is no limit in our angel scheme of Delhi. In Delhi, we have saved the lives of more than 26,000 people through the angel scheme. There is nothing more precious than human life," Kejriwal posted on X.
Earlier, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the "Cashless Treatment" scheme, under which the government will cover expenses of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for seven days of treatment for road accident victims.
Gadkari stated that the government would bear the cost of treatment if the police are informed about the accident within 24 hours.
The Union Minister also announced an ex gratia payment of Rs two lakh for the families of deceased victims in hit-and-run cases.
He also underlined that the government's top priority is road safety, citing the alarming statistic that nearly 1.80 lakh people lost their lives in road accidents in 2024. Of these, 30,000 fatalities were due to not wearing helmets, Gadkari added.
The announcement followed a meeting chaired by Gadkari with transport ministers from all states and union territories at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting aimed to facilitate collaborative efforts between the union and state governments and to discuss transportation-related policies.