Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Sadak Yojana: making roads safer

Indian government is launching a scheme Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Sadak Yojana to make Indian roads safer. The scheme will get an amount of Rs.2000 Cr as initial funding. The fund will be utilized in eliminating dangerous spots on highways through better design and road engineering. The hilly roads will be bordered with railings along with deep gorges.

Hilly states have been asked to provide the details where frequently accidents happen repeatedly. The government will take the help of IITs to prepare special reflectors for hill roads and redesign them to fix sharp curves.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Indian roads are the deadliest in the world as more than 2, 31,000 people die in road accidents. It is estimated that there are 796 such spots across the country and the government is keen on halving the road accidents by 2020. This scheme will come under the government’s action plan which includes vehicles safer.

A new specialized agency Bharat National Car Assessment Program will give the stars as per the safety of cars sold in India. Government will also launch new safety measures for the two wheelers – almost 72% of the road accidents are related to two wheelers only.

All motorcycles and scooters in India will have automatic headlamps on similar to cars, as per the proposed norms. Recently Road Transport and Highways Ministr Nitin Gadkari said road deaths lead to economic loss of 2-3% apart.

Source: ET