Good Samaritan Scheme (Rah-Veer Scheme)

What is the Good Samaritan Scheme?

The Good Samaritan Scheme is a programme of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) that rewards people who help save the life of a road-accident victim. A "Good Samaritan" is a person who, out of goodwill and without expecting anything in return, helps an injured person by taking them to a hospital or trauma centre within the crucial golden hour, the first hour after a serious injury, when timely treatment most often saves a life.

According to MoRTH, the scheme was launched in 2021 with a cash reward of Rs 5,000 per incident and a certificate of appreciation, to encourage bystanders to step forward and help rather than walk away for fear of police or hospital harassment. In 2025 the scheme was revised and renamed the Rah-Veer Scheme, raising the per-incident reward to Rs 25,000.

Key features

• Cash reward per qualifying incident, Rs 5,000 originally, revised to Rs 25,000 under the Rah-Veer Scheme, plus a certificate of appreciation.
• An individual can be rewarded a maximum of five times a year.
• Ten outstanding Good Samaritans are additionally selected each year for a national-level award of Rs 1,00,000 each, with a trophy and certificate.
• Implemented through States and Union Territories, with district-level appraisal committees examining cases every month.

Who is eligible for the Good Samaritan reward?

A person qualifies if:

• They voluntarily helped a victim of a serious or fatal road accident.
• They took the victim to a hospital or trauma centre within the golden hour.
• Their help was of a kind that contributed to saving the victim's life.

There is no requirement to be related to the victim, and the Good Samaritan need not have witnessed the accident from the start, the point is that they helped when it mattered.

Who cannot apply / is not eligible:

• Someone who was not involved in helping the victim reach medical care.
• Cases that do not involve a serious or fatal road accident as defined in the scheme.
• A person seeking the reward as a regular income, the reward is capped at five times a year per individual, and each case is examined on its facts.

Importantly, the scheme also protects Good Samaritans: under the guidelines a person who brings an accident victim to hospital cannot be detained, forced to pay hospital charges, or compelled to disclose personal details against their will.

How much does the Good Samaritan Scheme provide?

The per-incident cash reward is the core benefit — Rs 5,000 when the scheme began, revised to Rs 25,000 under the Rah-Veer Scheme in 2025 to paid along with a certificate of appreciation. An individual may receive this reward up to five times in a year.

Separately, the ministry runs a national-level selection every year in which ten of the most exceptional Good Samaritans receive Rs 1,00,000 each, along with a trophy and a certificate, typically during the National Road Safety Month. This is the maximum single benefit under the scheme.

What documents are involved?

How to apply for and claim the Good Samaritan reward

1. Take the accident victim to the nearest hospital or trauma centre without delay. The sooner the victim reaches care within the golden hour, the better.
2. At the hospital, allow the staff to record your details as the Good Samaritan (name, address and contact); you cannot be forced to do so, but these details are what start the reward process.
3. The hospital forwards the information to the district-level appraisal committee set up under the scheme.
4. The district appraisal committee examines the case. It meets every month, and, if satisfied that a life was helped to be saved, approves the reward.
5. The cash reward is transferred to the Good Samaritan, along with a certificate of appreciation.

You do not fill an application form as such; the process starts from the hospital record, which is why letting the hospital note your details matters. Exact procedures are administered by each State and UT, so the district transport or police authority can guide you on local steps.

Help and where to check

• National Highway helpline 1033 for road-accident emergencies
• Emergency number 112 to summon police and ambulance
• District transport / police authority for the status of a Good Samaritan reward and the appraisal committee process
• Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (morth.gov.in) for the scheme guidelines

The Good Samaritan Scheme is meant to remove the fear that stops people from helping. No one who brings an accident victim to hospital can be harassed, held, or made to pay for doing the right thing.