VIJAYAWADA: Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang on Wednesday formed State and district-level committees to comprehensively implement and manage the Central Government’s ‘Good Samaritan’ scheme.
Under the scheme, anyone who saves the life of a road accident victim by rushing them to a hospital within the “golden hour” gets a cash reward of Rs 5,000 from the government. In the month of October this year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) had launched the ‘Good Samaritan’ scheme, where the person who rushes to the help of those injured in road mishaps will get a certificate of appreciation besides cash reward of Rs 5,000 for saving the victim.
MORTH also instructed all the State governments and State Road Safety Committees concerned to implement the scheme from October 15. In a press release from Police Headquarters, DGP Gautam Sawang said the State-level committee is comprised of four members- chairman, member secretary and two members.
The principal secretary (Home Department) will be acting as chairman of the committee while the transport commissioner will be appointed as the member secretary. The health secretary and additional DG of the Road safety committee will be the two members. Similarly, the district-level committee will also have four members - district Collector and district Judge as chairman, deputy transport commissioner as member secretary and respective district superintendent of police (SP) and chief medical officer will be acting as members.
Every year, Good Samaritans will be chosen for the national-level by the State-level committee. The worthiest 10 will receive an award of Rs 1 lakh each. As per the guidelines, an individual can be awarded a maximum of five times a year. DGP Sawang informed that over 13 lakh people in India have been killed in road accidents over the last 10 years.
He further said that 50 per cent of these victims died of preventable injuries and could have been saved if care was given to them on time. “The role of a bystander is critical in providing emergency care to the victim. Unfortunately, bystanders have been hesitant to help the injured for fear of legal repercussions and procedural hassles. Three out of four people in the country are hesitant to help injured accident victims on roads due to fear of police harassment, detention at hospitals, and prolonged legal formalities.
In order to avoid and appreciate them, the central government is rewarding the good samaritans. The scheme commenced on October 15, 2021, and ends on March 31, 2026,” the DGP Gautam Sawang said.
Who is Good Samaritan?
A Good Samaritan is a person who, in good faith, without expectation of payment or reward and without any duty of care or special relationship, voluntarily comes forward to administer immediate assistance or emergency care to a person injured in an accident, or crash, or emergency medical condition, or emergency situation.