Free cashless treatment for road accident victims 2026 guide

Any person injured in a road accident caused by a motor vehicle on any road in India can get cashless treatment up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim, for up to 7 days from the accident date, at a designated hospital. The victim or family pays nothing upfront. This is a legal right under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

If you are short on time, skip to the step-by-step section below.

The Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025 is a nationwide programme that pays a designated hospital directly for treating a road accident victim. It covers up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim for 7 days from the accident. The family pays no upfront deposit. It runs under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and is funded by the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund.

The right to this treatment comes from Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Sub-section (2) says the Central Government shall make a scheme for the cashless treatment of victims of an accident during the golden hour. The “golden hour” is defined in Section 2(12-A) as the one hour after a traumatic injury when prompt care has the highest chance of preventing death.

For years no scheme existed under this section, even though it took effect on 1 April 2022. The Supreme Court forced the issue in S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India & Ors. (2025 INSC 45), decided on 8 January 2025. The Bench held that denying timely care in the golden hour violates the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. It directed the Central Government to frame the scheme by 14 March 2025, warning that delay would attract contempt.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) then notified the scheme:

• Scheme notification: S.O. 2015 of 2025, dated 5 May 2025.
• Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): S.O. 2489 of 2025, dated 4 June 2025.

The National Health Authority (NHA) is the implementing agency. The State Road Safety Council is the nodal body in each State or Union Territory. Claims and pre-authorisation run through the NHA's Transaction Management System (TMS), linked to MoRTH's e-Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) application.

RTI relevance: the scheme is delivered by public authorities, namely NHA, MoRTH, State Health Agencies, and State Road Safety Councils. If a hospital refuses to treat under the scheme, a pre-authorisation is stuck, or you want the list of designated hospitals in your district, you can ask under the RTI Act, 2005. See the sample RTI letter below.

1. Call 112 immediately. The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) operator guides the victim to the nearest designated hospital and can dispatch an ambulance. Reaching a designated hospital fast is the most important step.
2. Reach a designated hospital. Treatment is cashless only at hospitals empanelled under the scheme. Many are also Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY hospitals. If 112 is not reachable, ask to be taken to the nearest empanelled trauma centre.
3. Tell staff it is a road accident. The hospital is required to start stabilisation treatment at once, up to 24 hours for non-life-threatening cases and up to 48 hours for life-threatening cases, and then seek pre-authorisation through the NHA portal.
4. Let the hospital file the claim and do not pay upfront. The hospital seeks pre-authorisation and later submits the claim through the portal managed by the State Health Agency. Cover is up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim for 7 days from the accident.
5. Make sure the accident is reported to police. The scheme is built around the police-reported accident record (eDAR). Confirm an FIR or accident report is logged so the hospital's claim links to it.
6. If treatment is refused or the bill is pushed onto you, keep every document and escalate (see below). You should not be asked to pay for covered treatment within the cap.

• Patient's name and a photo ID (Aadhaar or any government ID), if available.
• Date, time, and place of the accident.
• The 112 call reference or ambulance details, if used.
• FIR number or police accident report (eDAR) reference.
• Vehicle registration number(s) involved, if known.
• Name of the treating hospital and the date of first admission.
• Any bills or payment receipts, in case you need to claim a refund of money wrongly charged.

• Going to a non-designated hospital first. Cashless cover applies at designated hospitals. Call 112 so you are routed correctly under Section 162.
• Paying a deposit because staff demand it. Covered treatment within the ₹1.5 lakh and 7-day limit is cashless. Refuse, escalate, and keep receipts if you are forced to pay.
• Confusing this with the hit-and-run compensation scheme. The ₹2 lakh death or ₹50,000 grievous-injury payment for hit-and-run cases is a separate scheme (the Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022), not part of this cashless treatment cover.
• Assuming it covers everything. The cap is ₹1.5 lakh per victim and 7 days. Costs beyond that, or after day 7, are not covered by this scheme.
• Not securing the police or eDAR record. Without the accident on record, the hospital's claim under the scheme can stall.

Use this if a designated hospital refuses cashless treatment, a pre-authorisation is stuck, or you need the list of empanelled hospitals. File it with the Public Information Officer of the State Health Agency, the State Road Safety Council, or MoRTH and NHA, as relevant.

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
[State Health Agency / State Road Safety Council / NHA, MoRTH],
[Address]

Subject: Information under the Right to Information Act, 2005

Application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Please provide the following information:

1. The list of hospitals designated under the Cashless Treatment of
   Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025 (notified vide S.O. 2015 of 2025
   dated 05.05.2025) in [District/State].

2. The procedure and timeline for a hospital to obtain pre-authorisation
   and to claim reimbursement under the scheme through the NHA
   Transaction Management System (TMS).

3. In respect of accident/case reference [give FIR no., eDAR ID, hospital,
   and dates if applicable], the status of the pre-authorisation and
   claim, and the reasons for any delay or rejection.

4. The grievance-redressal mechanism and nodal officer for victims or
   families denied cashless treatment under the scheme.

I am willing to pay the prescribed fee under Section 7(1). If any part
of this information is held by another public authority, please transfer
it under Section 6(3). If you withhold any part, please cite the exact
exemption under Section 8 or 9 and inform me of my right of first appeal
under Section 19(1).

Place:                                         [Name]
Date:                                          [Address]
                                               [Phone / Email]

If you get no reply within 30 days, or an evasive one, file a first appeal under Section 19(1) within 30 days of the deadline. You can find ready-to-use templates and tools in the RTI practical guides, and you can post your situation for community help on Ask RTI.

• If the accident just happened: call 112 and get the victim to a designated hospital.
• At the hospital: state clearly it is a road accident and ask staff to raise the cashless pre-authorisation, and do not pay a deposit.
• Confirm the accident is reported to police so the claim links to the eDAR record.
• Save the 112 reference, FIR number, hospital name, and admission date.
• If treatment is refused or you are charged, draft the RTI above and keep all receipts.

Any person injured in a road accident caused by a motor vehicle, on any category of road in India, is eligible. There is no income or insurance condition. Treatment must be at a hospital designated under the scheme.

Up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim, for a maximum of 7 days from the date of the accident. Costs above the cap, or after the 7th day, are not covered by this scheme.

No. The designated hospital seeks pre-authorisation and claims reimbursement from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund through the NHA portal. Covered treatment within the cap is cashless. If you are forced to pay, keep the receipts and escalate.

Only hospitals designated (empanelled) under the scheme. Many are also Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY hospitals. Calling 112 routes the victim to the nearest designated hospital. You can ask for the district list via the RTI letter above.

You can still get cashless treatment if you reach a designated hospital. The separate ₹2 lakh death or ₹50,000 grievous injury payment for hit-and-run cases comes under a different scheme, the Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022, and is claimed separately.

The golden hour, defined in Section 2(12-A) of the Motor Vehicles Act, is the first hour after a traumatic injury, when prompt care most improves survival. The scheme exists to make sure money is never the reason a victim is turned away in that window.

The scheme's benefit is intended to take precedence for road accident treatment, and is delivered through designated hospitals, including many PM-JAY hospitals. Keep your own insurance and PM-JAY details handy; for the exact interplay in your State, verify with the hospital or the State Health Agency.

Insist it is a road accident and that pre-authorisation be raised. If still refused, note the hospital, date, and staff name, keep any receipts, and file the RTI above with the State Health Agency or State Road Safety Council, then escalate to the grievance nodal officer.

• Section 162 and Section 2(12-A), Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
• Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2025: notification S.O. 2015 of 2025 dated 5 May 2025; guidelines and SOP S.O. 2489 of 2025 dated 4 June 2025 (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways).
• Press Information Bureau, “Cashless Treatment to Road Accident Victims” (PIB release PRID 2220125).
• Supreme Court of India, S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India & Ors., 2025 INSC 45 (8 January 2025).
• National Health Authority (NHA) as implementing agency; State Road Safety Councils as State nodal bodies.

For a deeper, plain-language walkthrough of using RTI to hold any authority accountable, read The RTI Playbook.