For motorists, a copy of a digital driver’s license, either stored in digilokers or otherwise, is sufficient upon inspection by state law enforcement agencies.
A cabinet order issued by the transport department on Thursday stated that no inspector shall insist on a physical copy of the same during the time of inspection within the state.
The state government has also fixed the fee structure for issuing the digital driving license. As much as INR 150 will be charged for the issuance of a new learner’s license, INR 200 for diving license, INR 300 as driving test fee and INR 50 as student test fee. The printed driving license will be issued on demand, with a sufficient fee for the purpose, the order said.
The amended rule 139 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rule (CMVR) made it possible to produce documents like registration certificate, insurance, fitness and permit, driving license, pollution certificate and all other relevant documents in electronic form. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also prescribed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for validation of the transport related documents in electronic form through IT or mobile app platforms. § 4 The IT Act recognizes electronic documents in law with the original documents.
In Kerala, the driving license and registration certificate are currently issued in the form of PVC animal G cards. The Transport Commissioner has recently suggested a shift to electronic form, citing the amendment in Rule 139 of the CMVR and pointing to the cases of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Assam, which have already adopted the issuance of digital driving licenses as standard. National Informatics Centre, Sarathy website will facilitate downloading and printing of digital driving licences.
Published – November 7, 2024 9:24 PM IST
