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India Announces Graded Points System for Driving Licences

The plan aims to reduce road deaths by using a points system that penalises repeat offenders, offering incentives to high‑scoring drivers.

Overview

  • Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari unveiled the proposal at the SIAM convention on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, saying offences would deduct points and licences could be suspended or cancelled after a set threshold is crossed.
  • The system would also record good driving and link high scores to incentives such as lower insurance costs and other benefits for responsible motorists.
  • Licensing reform will be rolled out alongside an expansion of driver training begun in January 2025, a network planned for 1,600 centres that has trained about 10 lakh drivers so far and may reach an annual capacity of 1.5 lakh.
  • The government confirmed complementary safety measures including approval of AIS 228 retrofit standards to cut particulate and NOx emissions, an active Parivahartan scrappage scheme with about ₹5,000 crore in support, and stricter bus body rules introduced from Sept. 1, 2025.
  • Officials said the moves feed into a broader vehicle-safety push that includes Bharat NCAP 2.0, scheduled for validation from October 2027, as part of an effort to cut India’s roughly 5 lakh accidents and 1.5 lakh road deaths a year.