The Road Transport and Highways Ministry said that the compensation to the kin of hit-and-run case victims will be increased by eight-fold to Rs. 2lakh in case of death from April 1.

The ministry in a notification said that the solatium to a person sustaining grievous injuries in a hit-and-run case will increase to Rs. 50,000 from the current Rs. 12,500. The notification issued on February 25 said that the scheme may be called the ‘Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme’, 2022 and it shall come into force with effect from April 1, 2022.

"This scheme will supersede the earlier Solatium Scheme, 1989 from April 1, 2022, onwards," the Road Transport and Highways Ministry said in a release.

The process of applying for compensation and the release of payment to victims has also been made time-bound, the release stated. The ministry has also published rules on February 25 regarding creation, operation, sources of fund etc of the Motor Vehicles Accident Fund.

"This fund shall be used for providing compensation in case of Hit &Run Accident, treatment for accident victims and any other purpose, as may be specified by the Central Government," the release stated.

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Under the scheme, the ministry has come up with the procedure for detailed investigations of road accidents, Detailed Accident Report (DAR) and its reporting along with timelines for different stakeholders for quick settlements of claims.

Last year, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told Rajya Sabha that 536 persons were killed and 1,655 persons were injured in accidents categorised as 'hit and run' in the national capital in 2019.

According to the latest government data, a total of 3,66,138 road accidents occurred in India during 2020, causing 1,31,714 deaths.

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