Here’s some good news which may also be a lifesaver for some. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued an advisory to states to accept Driving Licence, Registration Certificate or other documents in ‘electronic form’ presented through DigiLocker or mParivahan platform as valid under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and treat them at par with the certificates issued by the transport authorities.
As per the reports by The Indian Expres, The Digilocker app which was introduced by Narendra Modi in 2015 launched a new service in the following year which allowed the users to access their Drivers license and Registration certificates as a step towards a paperless governance.
The government has now asked the state to approve the e-copy of the transport papers and carry out confiscation of documents that will be reflected on the electronic system through e-challans. The advisory was passed after the grievances of several people through RTI applications reported rejection of the e-papers as invalid by traffic police or motor vehicles department when asked to produce. The advisory further stated that date related to insurance of new vehicles and renewal of insurance is also being uploaded by the Insurance Information Board (IIB) on the VAHAN database on a daily basis and the same is reflected in the mParivahan/eChallan app of the ministry said Business Today, “If the vehicle registration details on the mParivahan/eChallan app contain the details of the policy which is in force, then the requirement of a physical copy of the insurance certificate is also not to be enforced,” it said.
Henceforth any impounding of the official documents by the enforcement department will be reflected on the VAHAN/Mparivahan database through e-challan. As a result of the app, no seizure of the hardcopy documents will be done. It is expected that the IT-based online verification will help to enforce authority ensuring the genuineness of the details which will further result in better compliance and effective monitoring,” it said.
As per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, the owner/driver has to produce the documents — licence or certificate of registration etc to the authority on demand. States using any such online enforcement solution through alternative database have been asked to transfer the relevant information electronically through web service of VAHAN/SARATHI database. The digitalization of e-challans and vehicle paperwork is a step towards a growing nation. This move by the Government to keep up with the ever growing IT sector in the world is a bonus, with a hassle-free journey, reducing paper, saving trees thereby preparing for a green future.
