Karnataka govt approves additional Rs 1 lakh financial aid for road accident victims

Bengaluru, Sep 16 (PTI) The Karnataka government has approved an additional Rs 1 lakh in financial assistance for road accident victims, which supplements the existing Rs 1.5 lakh cashless treatment benefit under the Centre's Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims (CTRAV) 2025.

The decision followed a proposal from the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), which cited the state's fifth position in the country in terms of accident-related fatalities.

In Karnataka, around 40,000 accidents are recorded annually, resulting in about 11,000 deaths each year, it stated.

According to the notification, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, has notified the CTRAV scheme 2025. Under this scheme, free emergency medical treatment up to a limit of Rs 1.5 lakh per person is provided during the "golden hour" (first one hour) and for up to seven days after the accident.

"While the Rs 1.5 lakh assistance under CTRAV is generally sufficient, there may be special cases—such as multiple organ failure, ventilator support, or critical care—where treatment beyond seven days becomes necessary," it stated.

It further noted that accident victims treated in unregistered hospitals meeting prescribed criteria may also require continued treatment after stabilisation. Instead of shifting such patients to other hospitals, providing state-funded support for their treatment at the same hospital would enable timely, evidence-based medical care.

"In light of the points detailed in the proposal, the state government approves the modification of the existing Accident Victim Scheme, so that in addition to the CTRAV 2025 scheme of the Government of India (which provides up to Rs 1.5 lakh treatment support per accident victim), the state government will provide an top-up of Rs 1 lakh per person," the order dated September 15 stated.

Under the revised state scheme, patients on ventilator support, those with multi-organ failure, or those requiring other critical care who continue treatment beyond the seven-day limit of CTRAV shall be eligible for the additional top-up of Rs 1 lakh under the state package.

The order stated that if post-stabilization treatment is required in an unregistered hospital, the hospital must have NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) or NQAS (National Quality Assurance Standards) accreditation or meet the state’s registration standards. In such cases, reimbursement shall be limited to Rs 1 lakh as per SAST package rates.

"In medically justified cases, treatment in unregistered hospitals may continue even after seven days and state assistance for treatments exceeding Rs 1.5 lakh shall be provided based on the recommendation of a committee of medical experts." The implementation of the state’s additional support will be carried out through the NHA/MoRTH TMS 2.0 platform. In case of technical challenges, the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust will introduce a separate documentation process, it stated.

The scheme will be implemented within the existing budgetary allocation of the state without imposing any additional financial burden, it added. PTI AMP ROH