Govt to implement Rs 7,500 cr scheme to reduce road accidents

The Indian government is planning to partner with the World Bank to implement a Rs 7,500 crore scheme to reduce accident-prone areas and black spots on the national and state highways. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, told the media that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has identified 3,750 black spots on national highways and more such accident-prone areas are being added to the list. He said India does not have a good record on the road accident front and registers the world’s highest deaths due to accidents at 1.5 lakh every year. He told the media that the government had urged the World Bank to implement this programme across the country. The scheme will soon receive Cabinet approval, which will help improve accident-prone and black spots on NHs and state roads. Gadkari said 65% of people who die every year in road accidents were between the age group of 18-45 years. He said the scheme had been implemented in Tamil Nadu with the help of the World Bank, and there is already a 50% reduction in road accidents and deaths. Image Source Also read: Govt approves Rs 2,500 cr for road construction in Madhya Pradesh