Kerala motor vehicles department starts issuing driving licences as smart cards

Existing driving licence holders can also convert to the new smart cards by paying Rs 200  and postal charges.

                                                               Transport Minister Antony Raju

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the new smart driving licence made of PVC PETG on Thursday.

The old laminated cards will be replaced by new cards with seven security features. The smart cards will be available to both new applicants and holders of old driving licences. At the launch event, Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil and V K Prasanth MLA were given smart cards by the Chief Minister.

Transport Minister Antony Raju, who presided over the function, announced that the department will start issuing registration certificates (RC) as smart cards from May onwards.

Existing driving licence holders can also convert to the new smart cards by paying Rs 200 and postal charges. The discounted price is only valid for a year, after which the licence holders will have to pay Rs 1300.

Currently, the driving licence is issued by collecting Rs 700 and postal charges from applicants. The introduction of the smart card will be beneficial for Keralites who travel abroad as the laminated cards often caused issues when applying for driving licences in other countries.

The new driving licence will have seven security features, including a UV emblem, serial number, Guilloche pattern, micro text, hot-stamped hologram, QR code, and optically variable ink.

‘IMPLEMENT SMART CARD LICENCE PROPERLY’

T’Puram: Kamal Soi, a member of the National Road Safety Council, said the rollout of the smart card driving licence and registration certificate (DLRC) could be challenged before the court, if not implemented properly. The remarks came at a time when the transport department successfully challenged a private firm to roll out a smart driving license. Soi urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to address the legal troubles relating to the scheme’s implementation. “My main concern is that the transport department in Kerala has to ensure that smart card DLRC services are implemented properly and that it does not fall into legal wrangles again as has been the case in past,” he said.