India State Support Programme for Road Safety | 28 Jun 2022

For Prelims: India State Support Programme for Road Safety, Brasilia Declaration, Motor Vehicles (MV) (Amendment) Act, 2019, World Bank, International Monetary Fund

For Mains: Road Safety - India’s related initiatives, challenges, steps that can be taken

Why in News?

The World Bank has approved a USD 250 million loan for India State Support Program for Road Safety for seven States under which a single accident reporting number will be set up to better manage post-crash events.

What is World Bank?

  • About:
    • It was created in 1944, as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IBRD later became the World Bank.
    • The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.
  • Members:
    • It has 189 member countries.
    • India is also a member country.
  • Major Reports:
  • Its Five Development Institutions:
    • International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
    • International Development Association (IDA)
    • International Finance Corporation (IFC).
    • Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
    • International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
      • India is not a member of this.

What are the Key Highlights of the Program?

  • About:
    • The project will establish a national harmonised crash database system in order to analyse accidents and use that to construct better and safer roads.
    • The USD 250 million variable spread loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a maturity of 18 years including a grace period of 5.5 years.
    • It will be implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
  • Aim:
    • It aims to fund network expansion of basic and advanced life support ambulances and training of first responder caregivers to road crash victims on the spot.
    • The project will also provide incentives to the States to leverage private funding through Public Private Partnership (PPP) concessions and pilot initiatives.
    • Women face the indirect brunt of road accidents. Recognising this challenge, the project has a special focus on gender and will promote women’s representation in management roles in the road safety sector.
      • The project will also provide employment opportunities for women especially, in post-crash care command and control centers.

What is the Scenario of Road Accidents in India?

  • Road crashes are estimated to cost the Indian economy between 5% to 7% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) a year.
  • Official government data show that each year road accidents in India kill about 1,50,000 people and injure another 4,50,000.
  • More than half of the victims are pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcyclists and almost 84% of all fatalities are among road users between the working ages of 18-60 years.
  • Poor households that account for over 70% of crash victims bear a higher proportion of the socio-economic burden of road crashes due to loss of income, high medical expenses and limited access to social safety nets.

What are the Initiatives for Road Safety?

  • Third High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030’:
    • MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) participated in a conference in Sweden in 2020 — the Third High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030’ — where it was conceptualised to have zero road fatalities in India by 2030.
  • Brasilia declaration:
    • India signed the Brasilia declaration and committed to reduction in fatalities.
    • The declaration was signed at the Second Global High-Level conference on Road Safety held in Brazil.
  • Motor Vehicles (MV) (Amendment) Act, 2019:
    • It hiked the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles, juvenile driving, etc.
    • It provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which would provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.

Source: TH