📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Finance of India
Health
CAG uncovers health department road-accident figures three times higher than police data
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 28 Aug 2026, 12:33 AM
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The Comptroller and Auditor General reported that India's health ministry records road-accident deaths and injuries at three times the numbers reported by police.
New Delhi: A recent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has highlighted a stark mismatch in road‑accident statistics, with the health department's records showing three times more fatalities and injuries than figures compiled by police agencies. The discrepancy was uncovered during a routine review of inter‑departmental data sharing mechanisms aimed at improving road‑safety monitoring.
The CAG report notes that while police records are based on immediate crash reports filed at the scene, the health ministry aggregates data from hospitals and mortuary registers, capturing cases that may not be reported to law‑enforcement. This broader net has resulted in the health department documenting substantially higher casualty numbers for the same period.
Officials from both ministries have been asked to reconcile the divergent datasets and establish a unified reporting protocol. The audit underscores the risk of under‑estimating the true scale of road‑traffic injuries, which could affect policy decisions, funding allocations, and public‑health interventions.
The government has pledged to review the findings and work with the CAG to align the two data streams, aiming for more accurate and timely information that can better inform road‑safety strategies across the country.
The CAG report notes that while police records are based on immediate crash reports filed at the scene, the health ministry aggregates data from hospitals and mortuary registers, capturing cases that may not be reported to law‑enforcement. This broader net has resulted in the health department documenting substantially higher casualty numbers for the same period.
Officials from both ministries have been asked to reconcile the divergent datasets and establish a unified reporting protocol. The audit underscores the risk of under‑estimating the true scale of road‑traffic injuries, which could affect policy decisions, funding allocations, and public‑health interventions.
The government has pledged to review the findings and work with the CAG to align the two data streams, aiming for more accurate and timely information that can better inform road‑safety strategies across the country.