Media in India are highlighting federal Health Minister Harsh Vardhan’s remarks on poor road-safety awareness in the country.
Mr Vardhan said his colleague Gopinath Munde’s life could have been saved if he had worn a seat belt.
Mr Munde, who was appointed just last week to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new government, died on Tuesday in a car accident in the capital, Delhi.
The health minister confirmed that Mr Munde was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, papers say.
“I lost my friend to a misconception where most people think that the back-seat belts serve only a decorative purpose. In fact, wearing them is as necessary as wearing front-seat belts. They can save lives in the event of impacts,” The Hindu newspaper quotes Mr Vardhan as saying.
He added that the health ministry would initiate a campaign with non-governmental organisations to raise awareness about road safety in the country.
Law enforsement are also calling for greater awareness about road safety and strict laws are enforced in the wake of Mr Munde’s death.
