Ministry of Road Transport Proposes Higher Passing Marks for Driving Tutorials and Fee Waivers for Licence Services

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed raising the safe-driving tutorial passing mark from 60 to 75 percent. The draft amendments also introduce fee waivers for specific online licence services and set a 15-day timeline for processing personal detail updates.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has introduced draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules aimed at tightening driver assessment requirements and streamlining digital services. According to the proposals, the qualifying threshold for the safe-driving tutorial assessment will increase from 60 percent to 75 percent.

Additionally, the draft specifies that the safe-driving tutorial must run for a minimum duration of 30 minutes. To encourage digital adoption, the ministry has proposed a fee waiver for select online driving licence services that are completed using Aadhaar authentication.

Under the new proposals, licensing authorities will be required to either approve or reject applications for changing driving licence particulars—such as a change in name or address—within a strict timeframe of 15 days. If an application is rejected, authorities must provide explicit reasons for the decision.

The draft rules also eliminate charges for updating personal details, including the applicant's name and address. To verify identity, age, and residence, the ministry has outlined an accepted list of documents, which includes Aadhaar, passports, voter identity cards, e-ration cards, and birth certificates.

Furthermore, the proposals mandate that every driving licence issued or renewed by a licensing authority must be in a laminated or Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) card format in Form 7.

The draft notification has been opened to the public and stakeholders for feedback, inviting objections and suggestions within 30 days of its publication.

"These proposed amendments by the Road Ministry reflect a clear push toward tightening safety standards while leveraging digital infrastructure for citizen services. By mandating a 75 percent pass threshold and longer tutorial durations, the government is placing a stronger emphasis on driver awareness. For businesses operating in the mobility, logistics, and digital identity verification sectors, streamlining online processes through Aadhaar authentication and setting fixed 15-day timelines for document updates will help reduce compliance friction and administrative delays." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes