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A huge relief news has emerged for crores of drivers and new license applicants across the country. The days of frequent visits to Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), standing in queues for hours and breaking the bank to change small details are about to end. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has prepared a detailed draft notification to make historic amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR). The main focus of this new proposal is to make the processes related to Driving License (DL) and Registration Certificate (RC) completely faceless, transparent and citizen-friendly. In this draft, keeping in mind the convenience of the general public, a blueprint of 9 major and revolutionary changes has been drawn, which will directly save both time and money of the common man.
Under the current system, whenever a person registers a new address in his DL due to change of job, marriage or house, he has to pay a government fee of ₹ 200 to ₹ 500 and handling charge. In the draft of the new rules, it has been proposed to completely eliminate this fee and reduce it to zero. This means that now when moving within the state or from one state to another, drivers will be able to update their address free of cost by visiting the portal without any financial burden.
Traffic e-challan, emergency alerts and all digital notifications of RTO come directly on the registered mobile number. Many times, when the old number was closed, people did not update it due to fear of fees and hassle. In the new rules, the entire process of updating mobile number online has been made 100 percent free and OTP based. With this, drivers will continue to get real-time information about challan deduction or fitness renewal.
Till now, to give the driving test, it was mandatory to go to the automated driving track of the government RTO, where there was a months-long waiting list. Under the new rules, Government-recognized Accredited Driver Training Centers (ADTC) are being given the right to conduct driving tests. Those candidates who complete the training from these government recognized centers and get the competency certificate, they will not need to give a separate practical driving test again in the RTO.
Old licenses often have a blurred photograph printed 10-15 years old, for which one had to go to the RTO office to give biometrics to get it changed. Under the proposed rules, applicants will be able to update the latest photo and digital signature on their driving license online from the comfort of their home through Aadhaar authentication and live facial recognition technology.
New licenses start with Learner License (LL). Now the requirement for applicants to go to RTO to take computer test is being removed. Applicants will be able to take the online traffic rules test from their home by providing face-authentication through the front camera of their laptop or smartphone and upon passing, they will be able to download the digital learner license immediately.
If you make any amendments in your license (like correction in address, name or blood group), its digital copy will be updated instantly on DigiLocker and mParivahan app on the same day. During traffic police checking, this digital document will be completely legally valid like the original license. Only those who want to order plastic smart cards at home will have to pay minimal charges for physical printing.
In the proposed reforms, not only facilities but also strictness regarding road discipline has been increased. If there are more than 5 e-challans pending in the name of any vehicle or driver or the same is not paid within 45 days of generation of the challan, then the services of that license and RC on the Vahan portal may be temporarily blocked. This means that without clearing the pending challan, you will not be able to avail the benefits of services like change of address or RC transfer.
Medical certificate (Form 1A) is mandatory for drivers or commercial license holders above 40 years of age. Now, to prevent documents bearing the seal of fake doctors, registered medical practitioners will directly upload medical certificates with digital signatures on the Sarathi portal, thereby eliminating the need to scan and upload paper documents.
The main objective of all these 9 changes is to completely uproot the syndicate of brokers and agents from RTO offices. With more than 90 percent of the services becoming online and faceless, citizens will neither have to pay bribe to any middleman nor will there be any fear of files getting stopped. The Ministry has sought suggestions and objections from all concerned parties and the general public on this draft notification, after which it will be legally implemented simultaneously in the entire country.