PUNE: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a notification that there will be unified driving licence (DL) and vehicle registration norms. The new norms will be effective from October 1, 2019. As per the norms, every driving licence across all states and Union Territories (UTs) will have the same appearance and security features, along with a QR code, which will keep a record of the drivers’ data and penalties of up to 10 years.
Currently, different states and UTs issue their own driving licences in their own format, which has caused some chaos for the governments and traffic police. The ministry issued a notification on March 1. As per the notification, all new DLs will also be embedded with a SIM card-like microchip and QR codes.
The new DLs with near-field communication (NFC) feature will enable traffic cops to access the details easily. New smart driving licences will feature the national and state emblems, along with the name of the issuing authority. It will also state the blood group and declaration of organ donation.
Other details such as the current DLs will stay, as it mentions the licence is valid for which category of vehicles.
The government will also improve the quality of the cards as the printing on the current ones fades in course of time. The QR Code and elaborative details of the type of motor vehicle the licence holder is entitled to drive will be printed on the reverse side of the card. Moreover, an emergency contact number will also be printed on the reverse side of the card.
The vehicle registration card will also have a similar format with the chip being on the front side and the QR Code being on the reverse side. Upfront, the registration card will embody the fuel type and emission details of the vehicle, along with the owner’s details. The reverse side will feature details of the registered vehicle, said the notification.
According to the MoRTH report, over 32,000 new driving licences are issued while over 43,000 vehicles are registered every day in India. The implementation of the new process will see the issuance of new driving licences and anyone going in for renewal or re-registration will automatically get the new DL and RC for their vehicles.
NEW CARDS WITH NEW FEATURES
- New driving licence will also be embedded with a SIM card-like microchip and QR codes.
- New smart driving licences will feature the national and State emblems.
- It will also state the blood group and declaration of organ donation.
- The card will keep a record of the drivers’ data and penalties of up to 10 years.
- The reverse side of the driving licence will have an emergency contact number.
- The reverse side of the registration card will have the details of the vehicle.
