MoRTH Proposes 75 Percent Pass Mark for Learner's Licence Test

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed raising the pass mark for the learner's licence test from 60 to 75 percent. The change is part of a draft amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

The draft also adds a mandatory online safe-driving tutorial of at least 30 minutes, separate licence formats for Indian and foreign nationals, and wider medical disclosures. MoRTH will take public objections and suggestions for 30 days from the draft's release.

Image used for representational purpose

New Learner's Licence Process

Applicants would first complete an online tutorial covering road signs, traffic rules and a driver's duties after an accident, among other topics. It must run at least 30 minutes, and applicants would get 15 days to finish it, up from the current 7 days. Once the tutorial is done, they would have 7 days to take the test. The pass mark moves from 60 to 75 percent.

Separate proofs of address, age and identity would be required for a learner's licence. Address proof can be Aadhaar, voter ID (EPIC), passport or an e-ration card, along with electricity and household gas bills from the previous three months. Age proof can be a passport, birth certificate or a mark sheet from a recognised board or university. Identity proof includes Aadhaar, a valid Indian passport, an e-ration card and PAN.

Foreign applicants would need proof of legal presence in India and proof of residence. Applicants eligible for Aadhaar but without one would need their signature attested by a witness holding a driving licence and an Aadhaar number, in the presence of a medical practitioner.

Licence Formats, Form 2A and Medical Disclosures

Every driving licence issued or renewed would be a laminated or PVC card. Indian and foreign nationals would get separate formats, each with its own background colour. A QR code-readable zone would replace the machine-readable zone on the card. It would carry nationality, organ donor status, medical conditions and an emergency contact.

A new Form 2A would combine applications for adding a vehicle class, renewal, duplicate licences and changes to name, address or other particulars. No fee would be charged for changing these details or for any service availed through online Aadhaar authentication. The current charge for changing these details is Rs 200. Change of address applications that are neither approved nor rejected within 30 days would be deemed approved.

The physical fitness self-declaration would expand to cover medical conditions. Applicants would declare allergic reactions to medication and any medical or surgical implants, among other details, and this information would be used only in case of hospitalisation after a road accident. Blood group and an emergency contact's mobile number would become mandatory fields in licence applications.

The question on epilepsy would be replaced with a more detailed look at the applicant's history with the disorder. Anyone declaring a seizure disorder or epilepsy, along with a seizure in the last three years, current anti-epileptic medication or a tapering dose of it, would not be medically cleared for a full driving licence or a learner's licence.

The same applies to adding a new vehicle class, renewing a licence or getting a duplicate licence. Separately, MoRTH has also proposed making AEB mandatory for all cars from October 2032.