Give Top Priority to Ensure Safety of Women while Commuting – Dr. Cp Joshi

New Delhi, April 25: The 5th National Workshop on Computerisation in Transport Sector conclded after day- long deliberations here on 23rd April, 2013. The Workshop on new initiatives in computerisation of transport sector was inaugurated by Dr. C. P. Joshi, the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways.

Stating that the States have already switched over to the digital mode for issue of RCs(Registration Certificates) and DLs Dr.Joshi reminded the challenge of digitalizing the pile of legacy data of 6 crore DLs and 5 crore RCs. Announcing the scheme drawn by the Ministry for digitisation of this legacy data in a time bound manner, the Minister asked States to take advantage of the scheme and digitising the legacy data promptly. The Ministryof RT&H would incentivize States @ Rs.5 per record for digitisation work. States with difficult terrain would be reimbursed at a higher rate of Rs.7 per record. The work is targeted to be completed by March 2015.

Minister of Road Transport & Highways also took the opportunity to drive home another important message of preventing crimes against women and providing them safe transportation. He asked the participants to give top priority to ensure safety of women while commuting. The Minister and the Ministry had been in communication with the State Governments during the past few months for taking immediate and effective measures to ensure safety of women.

The outcomes set for the Workshop by the Minister included - Immediate finalisation of tenders for computerisation of legacy data and start of work by May-end – Work to be completed by March 2015; Start e-challaning by adopting enforcement module developed by NIC; Take ownership of VAHAN and SARATHI in the respective States; Start issuing RCs and DLs in smart card mode; Cancelation of RCs obtained by giving false information or documents; Cancellation DLs of drivers involved in crimes; Removal of solar films and tinted glasses from windows of vehicles and take other measures as advised by Ministry to check crimes against women, details whereof were made available to the participants.

Participants took keen interest in the proceedings of the Workshop. Issues relating to Smart Card type DL and RCs, payment gateway, high security registration plates, enforcement modules of Vahan and Sarathi, Carriage by Road application and permit module in Vahan were discussed in detail. A large number of suggestions were made at the Workshop, including mandatory notification of uniform design and specifications of DL and RC, incorporation of ‘Aadhaar’ number in data base of driving licences, development of a standardised enforcement module by Ministry in consultation with the States and pan-India implementation of smart card type DLs and RCs. On Ministry’s request, a number of participants shared the best practices adopted by them for emulation by other States.

The workshop was organised by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in New Delhi in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC) assisting the Ministry in the computerization process. The Workshop was widely attended by Principal Secretaries (Transport), Secretaries (Transport), Transport Commissioners and officers of Transport Departments of various States and Union Territories, including A&N Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Union Territory of Chandigarh, NCT of Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal etc. A large number of officers of National Informatics Centre (NIC), including its officers from the Regional Centres, also participated in the Workshop.