Recently, the annual crime report of NCRB revealed that around 1.2 lakh people lost their lives in road accidents in 2020. Many necessary steps should be taken to prevent such deaths which we have already talked about in our previous articles. At the same time, it is also important that we understand our civil responsibilities. And so, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH) has launched a rewarding scheme for 'Good Samaritan' to motivate the general public to help the road accident victims in emergency situations.
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Under this scheme, a cash award of Rs 5,000 and a certificate of appreciation will be given to those who will save a life of a road accident victim by offering immediate support and rushing him/her to the nearest hospital/trauma center within the golden hour of the mishap to provide medical treatment. An individual good samaritan can be awarded a maximum of five times a year. The Scheme would be effective from the 15th of October, 2021.
According to the issued guidelines, a communication from the concerned police station/hospital will be passed to the district-based appraisal committee that will further review and approve the reward proposals on a monthly basis. The committee would sanction and send the cases to the concerned State/UT Transport Department for making the payment to the Good Samaritans. MoRTH will provide Rs 5 lakhs as an initial grant to the Transport Department of the State/UT for making payment to the Good Samaritans. Afterward, Ministry would reimburse the amount to the States/UTs on monthly basis.
Talking about the members of the committees, the district-level panel will comprise the District Magistrate, SSP, Chief Medical and Health Officer, and the transport department of the region, whereas the state-level monitoring committee will run under the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary (Home) having Commissioner (Health) and ADGP (Traffic & Road Safety) as Members and Transport Commissioner as Member Secretary. The state committee shall do quarterly meetings to monitor the proper implementation of the scheme.
Besides, the best 10 Good Samaritans of each year will also be awarded Rs 1 lakh each along with a Certificate and trophy during National Road Safety Month (NRSM) in Delhi.
NOTE: – The first hour after the injury is called the 'golden hour'. An instant and proper first-aid given to road accident victims during this hour increases the chance of survival manifold and reduces the severity of injuries.
