A recent series of accidents has highlighted the challenges faced by the families of victims and the importance of providing prompt financial support to help them recover. Although the Tata group announced Rs 1.25 crore for each family affected by the Ahmedabad plane crash, other victims receive considerably less, such as Rs 5 lakh for families of the Uttarakhand helicopter crash victims and the Pune bridge disaster victims. The fate of road accident victims’ families often depends on whether the accident makes national news, which may result in some relief being announced by state CMs or from the PM relief fund. However, this aid is usually insufficient for long-term support. Families of unreported accidents struggle daily with both emotional loss and financial hardship.

There is an urgent need for a national response plan for all accident victims, covering road accidents, air accidents, lightning, floods, landslides, and bridge collapses. This plan should activate automatically upon the reporting of any fatal accident, without the need for political declarations.

The plan should offer financial support proportional to the family’s annual income, ideally around 10 times that amount, ranging from........

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