The ministry of road transport and highways has proposed introducing separate formats for driving licences issued to Indian and foreign nationals, making blood group and emergency contact details mandatory on licences, and raising the pass mark for the safe-driving tutorial assessment from 60 per cent to 75 per cent.
The proposals are part of draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, which also seek to waive fees for select online driving licence services completed through Aadhaar authentication and remove charges for changes to personal details, including name and address.
"Every driving licence issued or renewed by a licensing authority shall be in the form of a laminated or Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) card in Form 7, and the Form shall contain separate formats for driving licences issued or renewed for Indian nationals and foreign nationals, respectively," the draft notification said.
Driving licences to carry additional details
Under the proposed amendments, driving licences issued or renewed by licensing authorities would have to carry the holder's blood group, mobile number and emergency contact numbers.
The ministry has also proposed accepting affidavits and life insurance policies as proof of age and address to prevent misuse, while doing away with affidavits sworn before an executive magistrate or notary as proof of age and address.
The draft rules specify documents that applicants can use as proof of identity, age and residence. These include Aadhaar, passport, voter identity card, e-ration card and birth certificate, among others.
Safe-driving tutorial pass mark raised to 75 per cent
The ministry has proposed increasing the qualifying threshold for the safe-driving tutorial assessment from 60 per cent to 75 per cent. The tutorial would have to run for at least 30 minutes under the proposed rules.
A senior official said the proposed changes to driving licence rules are aimed at tightening assessment requirements.
The draft amendments also provide for a fee waiver for select online driving licence services completed through Aadhaar authentication.
Changes to licence details to be processed within 15 days
Under the proposal, licensing authorities would have to approve or reject applications to change driving licence particulars, including name and address, within 15 days. Authorities would also have to provide reasons for rejecting applications.
The ministry has proposed removing charges for changes to personal details, including the applicant's name and address.
The draft notification invites objections and suggestions from stakeholders within 30 days of publication.