Kerala's Motor Vehicle Department goes digital

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Kerala's Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has announced a major decision to stop the issuance of printed Driving License (DL) and Registration Certificate (RC) cards and to fully transition to digital versions. This move is to focus on modernizing services and making them more efficient for both applicants and the department, ANI reported.

According to ANI, the decision was made in part because of delays in the printing process brought on by an outstanding debt of Rs 15 crore to Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited, the company responsible for printing the cards. However, MVD officials stress that the main reason for the shift is to streamline services, reduce costs and enhance user convenience.

"This delay in printing due to the pending dues is one of the factors, but it is unnecessary to continue spending so much on printing when a fully digital system offers more benefits. The main goal is to make the process swifter and easier for everyone," said an MVD official.

As per ANI, the switch to digital DL and RC services would happen in two stages. First, the printing of DLs will be stopped, followed by the closure of RC card printing.

Key Advantages of Digital DL and RC are:

1. Faster Issuance: Applicants rather than waiting for printed cards after passing their driving test, will now be able to download their DLs the same day they pass the test.

2. Efficient Verification: During inspections, the digital DLs can be shown through DigiLocker, here officers can scan the QR code to quickly verify the status of the license, to see whether it is active, suspended or cancelled, which is the luxury physical cards are unable to provide.

3. No risk of Losing DL: Digital copies of DL can be shared with officials without the risk of the license being lost or damaged.

4. Optional Physical Copy: Those who prefer a printed version can still download and print a copy with the help of a QR code. The MVD is in talks with Akshaya centres to facilitate printing for citizens.

5. Digital Convenience: Similar to cash transactions being replaced by UPI, the usage of digital DLs and RCs will also offer seamless convenience that will eventually become the norm.

6. Cost-Effective and Sustainable: The shift is expected to reduce the cost of printing and the other expenses associated with, which will allow the department to focus on the resources to improve service delivery.

Despite the availability of digital versions for DLs and RCs as stipulated under Central Motor Vehicle Rule 139, Kerala will become only the fourth state to stop issuing printed cards, joining three others that have already adopted the shift, ANI reported.

(With inputs from ANI)