The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released draft amendments for stricter driving licence rules. The proposal mandates Aadhaar-based verification, removes affidavit usage, and imposes a 15-day processing limit for authorities. These changes aim to digitize the licensing process, reduce document fraud, and improve safety standards.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has unveiled draft amendments to the Motor Vehicles Rules, signaling a major move toward the digitalization of India's transport services. The proposed changes focus on reducing fraud and improving administrative efficiency for millions of driving licence applicants across the country.
Stricter Identity Verification
One of the most significant changes is the push to phase out affidavits and life insurance policies as proof of identity or age. Under the new draft rules, applicants will be required to provide independently verifiable government records, such as Aadhaar, voter identity cards, or government-issued birth certificates. This shift is intended to eliminate the misuse of notary-sworn documents, which have historically been susceptible to errors regarding residency and age claims. By requiring official digital records, the government aims to tighten eligibility standards.
Digital Efficiency and Processing Mandates
To speed up administrative tasks, the ministry is leveraging the existing Sarathi portal for automation. A notable feature of the proposal is the potential waiver of service fees for applicants who choose to authenticate their identity using Aadhaar, which acts as an incentive for digital adoption. Furthermore, the draft introduces a clear timeline for regional transport authorities. Officials will now have a 15-day window to process requests for name and address updates. If an application remains pending for 30 days, it will be considered automatically approved. This measure is designed to reduce backlogs and hold authorities accountable for processing delays.
Improved Safety Assessments
The government is also aiming to raise road safety standards through more rigorous testing. The qualifying threshold for the mandatory safe-driving tutorial assessment is proposed to increase from 60% to 75%. Additionally, the tutorial must run for a minimum duration of 30 minutes, ensuring that candidates are better prepared before they are issued permits.
Investor and Market Context
For investors, these rules reflect the government's ongoing commitment to strengthening India’s digital public infrastructure. The focus on Aadhaar-based authentication and digitized RTO services points toward a broader trend of digitizing citizen-centric government services. This shift supports the growing demand for secure digital identity verification and e-governance platforms. Companies involved in providing digital infrastructure, authentication technology, and secure record management may see continued relevance as these systems are upgraded. Additionally, insurance and financial services sectors often benefit from the reduction of document fraud, as it creates a more reliable data trail for verification. The key monitorable for the market will be the final notification of these rules and the speed at which regional transport offices transition to these new automated systems.