PM RAHAT Scheme

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The PM RAHAT Scheme (Prime Minister - Road Accident Victims' Hospitalization and Assured Treatment Scheme) provides immediate cashless medical treatment to people injured in road accidents involving motor vehicles. Before its nationwide launch as PM RAHAT, the initiative was known as the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) implements the scheme under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, with the objective of reducing road accident deaths by ensuring timely emergency medical care during the golden hour.

Under the PM RAHAT Scheme, an eligible road accident victim can receive cashless treatment of up to Rs. 1,50,000/- for a maximum of 7 days from the date of the accident. The scheme covers drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and bystanders injured in motor vehicle accidents. It also covers hit-and-run accident victims and foreign nationals, subject to the scheme conditions.

Eligible victims can receive complete treatment at designated hospitals according to the Health Benefit Packages developed by the National Health Authority (NHA). All Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana empanelled hospitals with adequate trauma and polytrauma care facilities are automatically treated as designated hospitals under the scheme. Non-designated hospitals can provide emergency stabilisation treatment before transferring the victim to a designated hospital.

Victims do not need to submit a separate application or make any upfront payment for covered treatment. After an accident, the victim, family member or helper can call 112 for emergency assistance or take the injured person to a hospital directly. The hospital starts treatment without waiting for police presence and creates a patient registration ID on the Transaction Management System (TMS). Police verification takes place digitally through the eDAR system. The scheme was notified on 5 May 2025, detailed guidelines were issued on 4 June 2025, and the Hon'ble Prime Minister launched PM RAHAT on 13 February 2026.

The scheme provides treatment rather than a direct cash payment to accident victims. For eligible hit-and-run victims, the treatment facility under PM RAHAT is separate from compensation available under the Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme. People who help accident victims as Good Samaritans or Rah-Veers can also receive protection and a reward under the Rah-Veer Scheme.

Scheme Benefits

• The PM RAHAT Scheme provides cashless medical treatment of up to Rs. 1,50,000/- per eligible road accident victim.
• The scheme covers treatment for a maximum of 7 days from the date of the accident.
• The scheme covers road accidents involving motor vehicles on National Highways, State Highways, District Roads, Village Roads and other roads across India.
• Drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and bystanders injured in eligible motor vehicle road accidents can receive treatment under the scheme.
• Hit-and-run motor vehicle accident victims and foreign nationals injured in eligible road accidents can also receive treatment.
• Designated hospitals provide treatment according to the Health Benefit Packages developed by the National Health Authority (NHA), subject to the prescribed coverage limits.
• Eligible victims do not have to make upfront payment for treatment covered under the scheme.
• The scheme provides immediate emergency medical care to road accident victims during the critical golden hour after an accident.
• No cash amount is paid directly to the victim or family, this is a purely cashless treatment mechanism, and reimbursement is made only to the treating hospital(s)
• Ambulance cost is covered under the scheme only for referral transfers between hospitals; the cost of the first ambulance ride to hospital after the accident is not covered under PM RAHAT itself

Eligibility Requirements

• Any person injured in a road accident involving a motor vehicle can receive cashless treatment under the PM RAHAT Scheme.
• The scheme covers:
  • Drivers injured in a motor vehicle road accident.
  • Passengers injured in a motor vehicle road accident.
  • Pedestrians injured in a motor vehicle road accident.
  • Cyclists injured in a motor vehicle road accident.
  • Bystanders injured in a motor vehicle road accident.
• The accident must involve a motor vehicle and occur on a road covered under the scheme.
• The scheme applies to road accident victims regardless of whether they are Indian citizens or foreign nationals.
• Victims of hit-and-run motor vehicle accidents are also eligible for treatment under the scheme.
• The victim's first hospitalisation must take place within 24 hours of the accident, except in permitted referral situations.
• Complete treatment under the scheme is available at designated hospitals, subject to the prescribed treatment and coverage conditions.
• Non-designated hospitals can provide emergency stabilisation treatment under the prescribed procedure and may transfer the victim to a designated hospital for further treatment.
• The maximum treatment coverage under the scheme is Rs. 1,50,000/- per victim for a maximum period of 7 days from the date of the accident.

Required Documents

• No documents or paperwork are required from the victim or family at the time of admission under the PM RAHAT Scheme.
• The hospital creates a Patient or Registration ID on the Transaction Management System (TMS) and starts stabilisation treatment immediately.
• If an identity document is available, the hospital may use the available details to identify the victim and help the police inform the family members.
• If the victim is unconscious or does not have any identity document, the hospital must not delay admission or treatment.
• The hospital completes the required scheme-related formalities through the TMS and eDAR systems.

Steps to Apply

There is no separate application form or registration process for PM RAHAT. Treatment begins automatically once the victim reaches a hospital or is reported through the 112 helpline.

1. Call 112 immediately after the accident and share the location and condition of the victim.
2. The 112 operator alerts the nearest police station, arranges an ambulance if needed, and guides the caller to the nearest designated hospital.
3. Alternatively, take the victim to the nearest hospital by any available means, and inform 112 afterwards so the police can be alerted through the eDAR system.
4. The hospital admits the victim and starts treatment immediately, without waiting for police verification, payment, or any documents.
5. The hospital creates a Patient Registration ID on the Transaction Management System (TMS) and shares the accident details with the police through eDAR.
6. Police verification happens digitally on eDAR. No police presence is needed at the hospital for treatment to begin.
7. Stabilisation treatment continues for up to 24 hours in non-life-threatening cases, or up to 48 hours in life-threatening cases, while police verification is pending.
8. Once the police confirm the accident on eDAR, the victim becomes eligible for complete treatment up to Rs. 1,50,000 for a maximum of 7 days from the date of the accident, at a designated hospital.
9. If the victim reaches a hospital that is not designated under the scheme, that hospital gives stabilisation treatment only, then refers the victim to the nearest designated hospital using the same Patient Registration ID.

Points to keep in mind:

• If the police find that the case is not a genuine road accident, the victim has to pay the treatment cost in non-life-threatening cases; in life-threatening cases, the government covers the cost incurred up to that point only.
• If there is no police response at all within the allowed time (24 hours, extendable to 48 hours in life-threatening cases), the victim is discharged from the scheme, and only the stabilisation treatment already given is covered.
• If the victim or family chooses to leave the hospital before police confirmation comes through, the cost of the stabilisation treatment already given must be paid by the victim.

Relevant Links

• PM RAHAT Scheme Guidelines.
• Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways Website.

Contact Information

• Contact Numbers of Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways.