Concerned over the high rate of casualties in accidents, the Government will soon bring a Road Transport and Safety Bill and launch cashless treatment for mishap victims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said in his monthly radio programme.
In his 15-minute programme, he also hailed the armed forces in the context of Kargil Vijay Divas, paid tributes to the farming community and praised scientists, besides saying that a team of officials will pay a week-long visit to the North-eastern States to understand the problems of the region and address them.
He also invited suggestions from the public which could form part of his this year’s Independence Day speech. While talking about various social issues, he avoided politics at a time when Parliament is unable to function because of a deadlock with Opposition demanding resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over various controversies.
The Government will soon bring a Road Transport and Safety Bill, he said. The Government is also planning other important measures like putting in place a National Road Safety Policy and Road Safety Action Plan, he said. A project under which cashless treatment will be given to accident victims will also be launched soon, he said.
“The project will be launched in Gurgaon, Jaipur and Vadodara and then to Mumbai, Ranchi, Rungaon and Maurya national highways,” he said.
Talking about the North East, Modi said that under the ‘Act East’ policy, officials of the Ministry of Development of North East Region (DONER) will go to the States of the region. “They will hold seven-day camps, talk to people and address their problems,” he said.
After talking about ‘kisan’, he spoke about the ‘jawan’ on the Kargil Vijay Divas, celebrated on Sunday. He paid tributes to the armed forces and hailed their sacrifices for the nation.
While talking about ‘vigyan’ (science), he referred to the recent accomplishment of ISRO which launched five satellites of the United Kingdom, in first such feat. At the same time, he regretted that interest in science and technology was on the decline among the youth and to generate interest he suggested holding of competitions in innovations nationally.
In the context of the ‘Swacchh Bharat’ programme, Modi highlighted a case of a Madhya Pradesh village where locals have launched ‘Operation Mal Yudh’ (war against dirt). Regarding the ‘mygov’ portal, Modi said he had received almost 2 crore hits and several suggestions were made by the people.