The government has extended the validity of documents like driving license (DL), registration certificate (RC) and permits till June 30, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The deadline for the validity of the documents was earlier set for March 31. The ministry of road, transport and highways (MoRTH) issued an advisory to the states about the extension and said that the documents whose validity could not be granted due to the lockdown or had expired since February 1, 2021, or would expire on March 31, 2021, will all be given an extension.
A driving licence can also be renewed anytime now between one year before its expiry till one year after its expiry, a step which is likely to benefit citizens living away from their hometowns, visiting abroad etc. MoRTH said that the decision “will help out citizens in availing transport-related services”. The documents eligible for the relaxation fall under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.
The ministry also highlighted that this may be the final extension towards the validity of documents that would be announced. Following this, vehicle owners will be required to renew their lapsed documentation for vehicles as per the norms.
Additionally, those seeking new driving licences will now be required to pass strict skill tests which will include reversing a vehicle with reasonable accuracy. Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari told the Lok Sabha in a written reply last Thursday that the rules and the passing percentage for the driving licence test will change. “In the case of a vehicle having a reverse gear, driving the vehicle backwards, reverse it into a limited opening either to the right or left under control and with reasonable accuracy is one of the parameters of qualifying in the driving skill test,” Gadkari said.
