Nitin Gadkari says nearly 5 lakh road accidents and 1.80 lakh deaths occurred in 2024

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari yesterday said that nearly 5 lakh road accidents and 1.80 lakh deaths occurred in 2024. Addressing the concluding event of Project Abhay by the Centre for Rural Development and Technology in New Delhi, Mr Gadkari highlighted that 66 per cent of the deaths were in the age group of 18 to 34. He added that road accidents result in a loss of 3 per cent of the country’s GDP annually.

Mr Gadkari also emphasised the need to reduce logistic



costs to boost exports. Lauding the successful completion of the pilot phase of Project Abhay, the minister noted the urgent need to increase the number of truck drivers, as the country currently faces a shortage of 22 lakh drivers.

Project Abhay is an initiative aimed at improving the lives of truck drivers across the country. Over the past year, this initiative has positively impacted the lives of 50,000 truck drivers across six states and 15 cities.