A total of 172 accident victims from Dakshina Kannada have availed cashless treatment in the four months since the PM-RAHAT scheme launched in the district in July 2026. The figure is the highest number in Karnataka, according to Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy.

Of the 172 victims, 109 were from Mangaluru city. The rest were from other parts of Dakshina Kannada district. The numbers show that the scheme is being used widely in the district, and most of all in the city.

How the scheme works

Under the PM-RAHAT scheme, an accident victim gets cashless treatment up to Rs 1.5 lakh for seven days. The treatment must be at the nearest hospital, and the victim must be admitted within 24 hours of the accident.

The scheme is meant to remove the delay that money causes in emergency care. When a victim reaches hospital quickly, the treatment can start without waiting for payment or paperwork from the family.

Highest in the state

Dakshina Kannada's figure of 172 is the highest among districts in Karnataka. The four months since July have seen a steady use of the scheme across the district.

Mangaluru city alone accounts for 109 of the 172 cases. That is nearly two out of every three cases in the district, which fits with the city's share of road traffic and accidents.

Why the 24-hour rule matters

The scheme's condition is that the victim must reach the nearest hospital within 24 hours of the accident. That window is meant to make sure treatment starts in the golden hours after a crash.

Families of accident victims often lose time arranging money or deciding where to go. Cashless treatment at the nearest hospital is meant to cut that delay and improve the chances of recovery.

The district picture

The 172 cases cover the whole district, not just the city. Victims from towns and villages outside Mangaluru have also used the scheme, though in smaller numbers than the city.

The police commissioner's figures give the first clear picture of how the scheme has worked in Dakshina Kannada since its launch. The district's lead in the state suggests that hospitals and police here have made the scheme known to accident victims and their families.

What the numbers show

Four months into the scheme, 172 people in one district have received cashless care worth up to Rs 1.5 lakh each for seven days. The scheme has become a working part of emergency care after road accidents in Dakshina Kannada.

The challenge now is to keep the numbers rising in the rest of the district, so that victims outside the city get the same quick access to cashless treatment that Mangaluru city victims have had.