Addressing the nation his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government is planning to introduce the Road Transport and Safety Bill and will soon launch cashless treatment for accident victims in view of the rising cases of road mishaps.
"Several people have been writing to me that I should speak on road safety to create awareness about it. When we see the figures, we notice that in India, an accident takes place every minute and a death due to these takes place every four minutes. Among the victims, one-third are in the age group of 15-25 years," the Prime Minister noted.
"In view of this, the government would soon introduce a Road Transport and Safety Bill in Parliament and work to implement the National Road Safety Policy and a Road Safety Action Plan," he said.
The Road Safety Action Plan will help road accident victims get cashless treatment for the first 50 hours of the accident. The plan will be first launched in Gurgaon, Jaipur and Vadodara and extended to Mumbai, Ranchi, Rungaon and Maurya national highways.
The government will also introduce a nation-wide toll free number – 1033 – using which the authorities concerned can be informed about accidents taking place anywhere in the country.
Modi salutes Kargil War martyrs
In his 10th radio address, Modi also paid tributes to the 1999 Kargil war martyrs as India observes Kargil Diwas on 26 July to salute its soldiers for fighting against the infiltration of Pakistani troops in 1999.
"In Kargil, each of our soldiers proved more than a 100 of the enemy. I salute the brave soldiers who thwarted the evil designs of the enemy without caring for their own lives. The Kargil war was not fought only on the border but every village, every city contributed to it," PTI quoted Modi as saying.
"This war was fought by those mothers and sisters whose sons and brothers were in the battlefield. It was fought by those girls, who had just been married, those fathers who gave their sons and felt young themselves, and those sons who had not even learnt to walk properly holding the finger of their father. It is because of their sacrifices that India can move in the world holding its head high," he said.
PM congratulates farmers for good farm yield
He also extended his gratitude to the farmers for a good yield of pulses and oilseeds this year.
"The rains have started well, it would certainly help farmers. I am happy that pulses and oilseeds have recorded a growth of 50 and 33 percent respectively this year," Modi said.
Suggestions for Independence Day Speech
The Prime Minister also invited the public to suggest ideas for his Independence Day speech. He said he is already getting suggestions from people across the country for his speech on 15 August, but it would be great to get more on the same at MyGov website.
The latest of the suggestions on the government portal seeks implementation of One Rank One Pension scheme, for which social activist Anna Hazare is protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, along with the former servicemen.
"Please announce the implementation of one rank one pension on 15th August .Our soldiers have been waiting for it since 40 years. Any further delay may hurt the government's image," read one of the suggestions on MyGov.
