A total of 3,48,279 persons were injured in 3,66,138 road accidents across the country during the calendar year 2020, causing 1,31,714 deaths.
In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, Highways and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said 451,361 people were injured in road accidents in India in 2019, while the total number of accidents fell stood at 449,002.
According to the minister, the road ministry has prepared a multi-pronged strategy to address road safety issues based on education, engineering (road and vehicle), enforcement and emergency care.
In a separate question, Mr. Gadkari said that the construction of the national road had been slightly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of time was generally estimated between 3 and 9 months depending on the parameters of the project. ,
The government has taken several steps under Atmanirbhar Bharat, like granting time extensions for 3 to 9 months, relaxation in contract provisions for ensuring cash flow, direct payment to sub-contractors and release of retention/security money to augment cash flow, waiver of penalty in case of delay in submission of performance security (for new contracts), to make up the loss and regain the lost speed in highways construction, he added.
According to official statistics, 2,202 people died in road accidents in the state between January and May last year. The death figure increased to 2,357 during the first five months of 2022.