Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 26 (ANI): The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have jointly launched the Sadak Suraksha Mitra (SSM) initiative to systematically involve youth in road safety interventions through the MYBharat platform.In the first phase, the program will be rolled out in 100 districts across the country, including 28 in Uttar Pradesh, with district authorities tasked with ensuring youth engagement and submitting regular progress reports. A concept note and roadmap have already been shared with states and districts.In Uttar Pradesh, the Transport Commissioner directed all district magistrates on Tuesday to ensure the timely implementation of SSM through District Road Safety Committees (DRSCs). The instructions include appointing nodal officers, onboarding volunteers on MYBharat, selecting and training youth participants, and conducting monthly KPI-based reviews.The initiative will engage district-level youth volunteers between the ages of 18 and 28, with the condition that no traffic violation is pending against them. General volunteers will undergo a one-week training program, including first aid, while civil engineering graduates will receive 15 days of specialised training in road safety audits.Their responsibilities will include coordination at crash scenes, conducting road safety audits and black spot studies, carrying out awareness and engagement activities, and utilising tools such as EDAR, Sanjaya, and field perception surveys. Certificates and Good Samaritan recognition awards will also be provided to acknowledge the outstanding work of the volunteers.Under Section 215B of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the district road safety committee (DRSC) in each district will oversee the progress of the initiative, and the Sadak Suraksha Mitra (SSM) can be co-opted by the district road safety committees (DRSC).The MoRTH roadmap outlines milestones T1-T12, including DM’s MYBharat onboarding, DRSC meetings, ELP publication, training, and field engagement. At the end of the program, the DM will submit a summary report to MoRTH and SCCoRS.The 28 districts selected in Uttar Pradesh, as per the MoRTH list, are Kanpur Nagar, Bulandshahr, Prayagraj, Agra, Unnao, Hardoi, Mathura, Aligarh, Fatehpur, Lucknow, Sitapur, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Barabanki, Jaunpur, Badaun, Bijnor, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Saharanpur, Azamgarh, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Raebareli, Sonbhadra, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur, and Basti.Through structured training, field studies, and data-driven reporting, the program aims to reduce accidents and serious injuries, enhance emergency response and site management, and increase youth-public engagement, ultimately strengthening district-level road safety mechanisms in the long run.“Guided by a zero-risk and zero-friction policy, the Sadak Suraksha Mitra program is a nationwide effort to channel youth energy into tangible road-safety results. Through DRSC, the Government of India and the State Government aim for each district to implement a coordinated plan covering crash-scene management, black-spot audits, and awareness campaigns. Proper and timely execution of this plan will help lower accidents and fatalities, improve response times, and strengthen citizen safety”, said Brajesh Narayan Singh, Transport Commissioner. (ANI)