PM-RAHAT Scheme 2026: ₹1.5 Lakh Cashless Treatment

If a person is injured in a road crash anywhere in India, up to ₹1.5 lakh of treatment is a statutory entitlement. The family does not fund it first and claim later.

PM-RAHAT was notified under Section 162 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 vide S.O. 2015(E) dated 5 May 2025, with process flow and SOP in S.O. 2489(E) dated 4 June 2025. It was launched on 13 February 2026 and named vide S.O. 952(E) dated 19 February 2026.

What the cover pays

• ₹1.5 lakh per victim, capped at 7 days from the date of the accident
• Valid on any category of road
• Available to all victims of accidents caused by the use of a motor vehicle

There is no income test and no Ayushman card requirement. PM-JAY hospitals form the network, but PM-JAY eligibility is not the qualifying condition — being a road accident victim is. The scheme also takes precedence over any other central or state accident-treatment scheme.

What actually happens, in order

1. Dial 112. The ERSS operator identifies the nearest designated hospital and can dispatch an ambulance.
2. Treatment begins on admission, under Health Benefit Packages developed by the National Health Authority.
3. The hospital generates Treatment IDs on TMS 2.0.
4. Those IDs are pushed to the district police through eDAR.
5. Police authenticate within 24 hours, or 48 hours in life-threatening cases, as classified by the hospital administrator.

Stabilisation runs independently of that clock: every victim receives stabilisation treatment for up to 24 hours (non-life-threatening) or 48 hours (life-threatening) at a designated hospital.

Which hospitals count

All AB PM-JAY empanelled hospitals complying with NHA guidelines are deemed designated — 36,112 as on 9 March 2026. States may add non-PM-JAY trauma facilities under the NHA empanelment guidelines of 20 May 2025. Search by state, district and speciality at hospitals.pmjay.gov.in, and phone ahead, because empanelment status changes.

If the hospital asks for a deposit

State plainly that it is a road accident case under PM-RAHAT and ask for pre-authorisation to be raised on TMS. Then escalate in this order:

• The hospital’s Arogya Mitra desk
• The district Grievance Redressal Officer, appointed by the District Road Safety Committee
• The District Collector
• The State Road Safety Council, the nodal agency for your state or UT

Hold on to four things: the 112 call reference, the admission slip, the Treatment ID, and any receipt for money you were made to pay. A refund is difficult to pursue without the Treatment ID.

Who reimburses the hospital

Payment flows from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund. General insurers fund it where the offending vehicle was insured; the central budget covers uninsured and hit-and-run cases. Once the State Health Agency approves the claim, the District Collector or GI Council must pay within 10 days. A vehicle’s insurance status is visible from its registration number in the public vehicle details lookup.

What it does not cover

PM-RAHAT is emergency care, not compensation. Death and disability payouts sit elsewhere: ₹2 lakh for death and ₹50,000 for grievous injury under the Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme, 2022, and larger awards through the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal.

If you were the person who brought the victim in, the Rah-Veer award under Section 134A pays ₹25,000 with a certificate, up to five times a year, and shields you from civil or criminal liability for acting in good faith.