Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has released guidelines for implementing ‘Rah-Veer’ scheme, an initiative of the central government for Good Samaritans, who rush road accident victims to hospitals within the crucial golden hour and play a vital role in saving lives.
The reward amount has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 in this enhanced version of the previous ‘Good Samaritan’ scheme.
“District-level appraisal sub-committees will be constituted to approve eligible Rah-Veers (good samaritans). These committees will be headed by the collector, with SP/DCP, chief district medical officer and regional transport officer serving as members,” read a letter by transport secretary Usha Padhee to all district collectors.
The sub-committee will convene monthly to evaluate and approve proposals based on reports from police stations or hospitals about heroic acts. Selected Rah-Veers’ names and details, including Aadhaar and bank account numbers, will be uploaded to the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) platform, with awards transferred to their bank accounts within seven days. “When citizens transport critically injured persons directly to hospitals, medical staff will alert police, who will inform the district collector. The helper will receive a report copy, and the government will transfer the reward directly to the beneficiary’s account,” according to the guideline.
The Collectors have urged to enhance awareness efforts for the scheme, which aims to encourage the public to assist individuals injured in road accidents, ultimately contributing to the saving of lives. They have been asked to submit action taken reports by July 20.
