Bengaluru,: The Karnataka government has announced an additional financial assistance of ₹1 lakh for road accident victims, supplementing the existing ₹1.5 lakh cashless treatment benefit under the Centre’s Cashless Treatment Scheme for Road Accident Victims (CTRAV) 2025.

Addressing rising fatalities

The decision came after a proposal from the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST), which noted that Karnataka ranks fifth in India for accident-related fatalities. Each year, the state records around 40,000 road accidents, with nearly 11,000 deaths.

Under CTRAV 2025, notified by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, free emergency medical care up to ₹1.5 lakh is provided for the “golden hour” (first one hour) and up to seven days after the accident.

State’s top-up support

The state government order dated September 15 acknowledged that while CTRAV support is adequate in most cases, certain situations—such as multi-organ failure, ventilator support, or prolonged critical care—require extended treatment.

To address this gap, the Karnataka government approved a top-up assistance of ₹1 lakh per person. This will apply to patients continuing treatment beyond CTRAV’s seven-day cap or requiring more intensive care.

Guidelines for hospitals

The notification further clarified that victims treated in unregistered hospitals will also be eligible for state support, provided the hospitals meet specific standards. Such facilities must either have NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) or NQAS (National Quality Assurance Standards) accreditation, or comply with the state’s registration norms.

In these cases, reimbursement will be capped at ₹1 lakh as per SAST package rates. Treatment in unregistered hospitals beyond seven days may also be covered if a committee of medical experts recommends it.

Implementation framework

The state’s additional support will be rolled out through the NHA/MoRTH TMS 2.0 platform. In case of technical challenges, SAST will implement a separate documentation process.

Importantly, the scheme will be executed within the existing state budget, ensuring no additional financial burden.

Conclusion

By supplementing the Centre’s CTRAV with its own ₹1 lakh assistance, Karnataka aims to provide comprehensive support for accident victims needing extended or critical care. This measure, officials said, ensures timely treatment and reduces the need to transfer patients between hospitals, thereby improving survival outcomes.