3 weeks ago
India's rising road deaths, but only 813 Good Samaritan awardees
In India, when people get hurt in road accidents, they sometimes need help to get to a hospital quickly.
The government started a special program in 2021 to thank "Good Samaritans" — kind people who help injured people get to a hospital fast.
If a helper brings an accident victim to the hospital within the first hour, called the "Golden Hour", they can get a reward of 25,000 rupees.
But in five years, only 813 people received this reward.
That is a very small number, because every year many people die in road accidents in India — about 177,000 in 2024 alone.
Many people are scared to stop and help because they worry the police or hospital will ask them lots of questions and make them fill out forms.
The government wants more people to know about the reward and is trying to spread the word.
The Supreme Court also told states to set up ways to protect helpers from trouble.
But most states have been very slow to do this.
Helping someone who is hurt is very important, and the government hopes more people will become Good Samaritans.
Only 813 people were awarded under India's Good Samaritan (Raah-Veer) scheme between 2021-22 and 2025-26, per MoRTH data tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The scheme pays Rs 25,000 to anyone who helps an accident victim reach a hospital within the 'Golden Hour' — the first 60 minutes after a critical accident.
Road accident deaths in India rose 2.31% to 1.77 lakh in 2024, from 1.73 lakh in 2023.
Only 15 states and two Union territories gave awards; among the eight states accounting for two-thirds of road deaths, Rajasthan led with 224 awardees while two states had none.
Fear of police or hospital questioning and paperwork is widely cited as why people hesitate to help, and only Maharashtra and Karnataka have grievance redressal systems among the eight high-fatality states.
- Who
- The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Good Samaritans (Raah-Veers), Indian states and Union territories, and the Supreme Court of India.
- What
- India's Good Samaritan scheme saw only 813 awardees in five years even as road accident fatalities rose to 1.77 lakh in 2024.
- Where
- India, with participation from 15 states and two Union territories that awarded Good Samaritans.
- When
- Data covers 2021-22 to 2025-26 and was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday; the scheme launched in October 2021 and was extended in July for the 2026-27 to 2030-31 cycle.
- Why
- The scheme aims to encourage bystanders to help accident victims reach hospitals within the 'Golden Hour', but low uptake is linked to fears of police or hospital questioning, paperwork, and slow state implementation of protections.
Government/Ministry perspective
Public concern perspective
Scheme participation
Government/Ministry perspective
The ministry extended the scheme for another five years and asked states to create wider awareness, treating awards as an effective way to encourage life-saving help.
Public concern perspective
Only 813 awardees in five years across 15 states and two Union territories shows very low uptake, with two of the eight highest-fatality states reporting no beneficiaries.
Protection for bystanders
Government/Ministry perspective
The ministry and the Supreme Court have established award rules and protections (including a 2016 court order) to support Good Samaritans.
Public concern perspective
People hesitate to help due to fear of police or hospital questioning, paperwork and personal data disclosure, and only two of the eight high-fatality states have grievance redressal systems a decade after the court order.
Key facts
- Scheme
- Good Samaritan (Raah-Veer) award scheme
- Launch
- October 2021 by MoRTH
- Reward
- Rs 25,000 (raised from Rs 5,000)
- Total awardees (2021-22 to 2025-26)
- 813
- Participating states/UTs
- 15 states and 2 Union territories
- Road accident deaths in 2024
- 1.77 lakh (up 2.31% from 1.73 lakh in 2023)
- Top awarding state
- Rajasthan (224 awardees)
- Extension
- 2026-27 to 2030-31, with an initial grant of Rs 25 lakh to states










