Driving Licence Draft Rules: New Colours, 75% Learner Test Pass Mark

Anyone applying for a learner’s licence would need to score 75% on the online road-rules tutorial instead of 60%, under draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The draft, notified on 16 October and printed in the Gazette of India on 21 October, also proposes separate background colours on licence cards for Indian citizens and foreign nationals, with nationality printed on the card, according to Business Standard and Autocar India.

Free Address Changes and a 15-Day Clock for RTOs

For licence holders, the most practical change is cost and waiting time. Fees for changing a name or address on a licence would be dropped, and these changes would move to an online portal through a new Form 2A. Specified online services used through Aadhaar authentication would be free. Licensing authorities would have 15 days to approve or reject an application and would have to record reasons for any rejection. An address-change request left undecided for 30 days would be treated as approved.

Electricity and household gas bills not older than three months would count as proof of address. Learners would get 15 days instead of seven to finish the tutorial, which would have to last at least 30 minutes.

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QR Code Replaces the Machine-Readable Strip

The card itself would be a laminated or PVC card in Form 7. A QR code-readable zone would replace the current machine-readable zone, and new fields would include nationality, medical conditions, allergies, medication, organ-donor status and an emergency contact, Business Standard reported. Foreign applicants would also have to show proof of legal presence in India. A person who permanently surrenders a vehicle category could not apply for it again for one year.

IPB News reported earlier this month on the Supreme Court’s push to publicise the road accident relief scheme, another MoRTH area under scrutiny.

Thirty Days for Public Objections

The draft is open for objections and suggestions for 30 days from the date copies are made public, which puts the deadline in late November. The rules take effect only after final publication in the Gazette. Reports on the draft do not name the two colours, say whether existing licence holders must replace their cards, or set out who can read the medical details stored on the card. The ministry had not published an explainer on these points by 1:50 PM IST on 26 October.

Source: Based on reporting by Business Standard, Autocar India and Acko Drive.

Image: Business Standard.