Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that road safety is an important and crucial subject for the country, expressing his concern over the rising number of road accidents in India. Addressing the national conclave on road safety in New Delhi today, Mr Gadkari said, India witnesses nearly five lakh road accidents every year, resulting in about one lakh eighty thousand deaths.

Emphasising on road engineering, he noted that the government has now shifted to a performance-orientated policy in which performance audit is being prioritised over financial audit to ensure better accountability and quality of roads. The Minister stated that the country’s automobile industry rules and regulations and standards are now aligned with global road safety standards, ensuring improved vehicle safety across categories.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Gadkari also highlighted the PM Rahat Scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under which every eligible road accident victim on any category of road will be entitled to cashless treatment up to one lakh 50 thousand per victim, for period of seven days from the date of accident.