HIGHLIGHTS-
- The government has implemented a scheme to minimize road accidents.
- The Government intends to work with the World Bank on this initiative.
- Under the scheme, the accident-prone zones and black spots are identified and improved.
India registers the highest number of deaths due to road accidents. Recognizing India’s unfortunate distinction of having the largest number of fatalities in road accidents, the government is planning to launch a full-fledged scheme to reduce road accidents. The Government intends to work with the World Bank on this initiative. For this, the government has implemented a Rs 7,500 crore scheme to minimize accident-prone zones and black spots on national and state highways.
Black spots and accident-prone areas
The NHAI has discovered 3,750 black spots on national roads, according to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, and additional such accident-prone regions are being added to the list. The Union Minister says India does not have a good track record when it comes to traffic accidents, with around 1.5 lakh deaths each year.
Scheme to be shortly implemented across the country
The Union Transport Minister stated that the government is quite concerned about this issue. He further said, “With the World Bank’s support, we will shortly execute a Rs 7,500-crore plan across the country. We have pushed the World Bank to expand this initiative throughout the country”. In addition, the minister said, we will soon receive Cabinet approval for this project, which will help us improve accident-prone and black spots on national highways and state roads”.
50% reduction in accidents and deaths
According to Gadkari, 65 percent of those who died in traffic accidents each year are between the ages of 18 and 45. He said that the plan was launched with the cooperation of the World Bank in Tamil Nadu and that there has already been a 50% reduction in accidents and deaths.
