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Central Government, Government, Government Data Management

India’s e-driver’s licence project hits 10m

By Robin Hicks | 28 June 2010

In what has been billed as the largest project of its kind of the world, the government of India has passed the 10 million mark for issuing electronic driver’s licences. Of the country’s 110 million drivers, nine per cent have now been registered with electronic driving certificates, according to Gemalto, a digital security firm involved in the project.

The number of drivers in India soared from seven in 1000 in 2007 to 11 in 1000 in 2010 - a doubling since 2000 when 0.5 per cent of Indians had a car.

But the number of car accidents is keeping pace with car ownership. In 2008, road accidents claimed more than 100,00 lives, a number which is expected to reach 150,000 by 2015, as India’s car market booms.

The e-Driver’s License project aims to reduce the incidence of car-related calamity by alerting officials to the driver’s history.

Inside the e-licence is a microprocessor that stores the driver’s data - vehicle registration number, the owner’s identity, insurance details, and pollution control certification status. It also contains security features that can help curb car theft - a big contributing factor to car accidents.

India was second only to Italy in a ranking of the world’s worst drivers, according to a 2010 survey of 2000 people in 80 countries by travel industry pollster Titanic Awards.

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