The government is looking at extending the validity period of driving licence (DL) from the current 20 years till the time DL holder turns 50, and making the process of transfer of vehicle ownership and renewal of permits completely online, moves which are aimed at eliminating hassles faced by people.
According to reports, the road transport ministry is working on both proposals and may roll out these for "ease of living" in near future.
Officials said state government’s revenues would not be impacted as the charges for obtaining and renewal of DL can be collected online without visiting any RTO. "Second, once you have a system to give negative points to drivers for violations and link it to suspension or cancellation of their licence, bad drivers will be reined in," said an official.
Under the current framework, a standard driving licence is issued for 20 years. After it expires, drivers are expected to undertake the entire process of renewing their licences by filling the necessary documents and producing a medical report, depending on the age of the driver. The change in validity period is expected to simplify the processes involved for the convenience of people.
Despite some reluctance to accept the new proposal from some state governments because of the fear of losing out on income generated from the application forms of renewal licences, the Centre feels this is not likely to lead to any significant losses to the state governments. Transport officials point out that administrative fees for initial issuance or updates can easily be restructured and collected through digital portals to ensure that state treasuries remain unaffected.
The ministry is also actively working on shifting services like vehicle ownership transfers and transport permit renewals to digital platforms entirely. This wider modernisation programme aims to do away with paper work.
Transport authorities are of the view that the extended validity period for licences will not jeopardise road safety.
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