Going paperless, driving licences and vehicle registration certificates will now be issued as plastic cards in a standard format across the country. The option of providing a paper or booklet-based driving licence or registration certificate has been done away with, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Thursday, 7 March.
Under the new norms notified by the ministry, states would have an option to issue the two documents in the form of cards, which would be either made of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) or of Poly Carbonate.
"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has prescribed a common standard format and design of the Driving Licence and the Certificate of Registration for the entire country... The option of providing a paper or booklet based driving licence or the registration certificate has been done away with," the ministry said in a release.
The specifications for the cards are high standard and would enable durable and quality cards, it added. This is also an attempt to standardise the documents across India and create a centralised digital repository that can help contain forgery and duplication, an official told Hindustan Times.
A transport ministry official told Hindustan Times that the new cards had enhanced safety features which would prevent one from making a duplicate of the same quality. Previously, it was possible to photocopy and laminate the documents.
The smart DLs and RCs will have optional provisions for a microchip, Quick Response (QR) code and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology like in ATM cards, according to a government notification amending the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the report said.
According to the ministry, state governments have been given the option to decide on the type of material that can be used for making the cards. Further, states can prescribe whether it should be a chip-based smart card or a card with contact-less features such as QR code.
"A QR code has been prescribed on the cards. This would enable easy linking and access and validation of the information on the cards with the SARATHI or VAHAN database," the release said. These are the government’s web-based databases of driving licences and vehicle registrations, respectively.
The Sarathi application can be used to identify duplicate DLs. When a duplicate licence shows up on the system, all related records of the holder can be viewed and appropriate actions such as cancellation or clubbing duplicate licences can be taken. According to Hindustan Times, state RTOs are already using this to “de-duplicate” DL records.
Recently, the ministry amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, enabling issuance and use of transport-related documents in an electronic form.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times and PTI.)
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