India to launch points-based licence system, driver-training expansion and new safety ratings

Union minister Nitin Gadkari told participants at the 66th SIAM Annual Convention 2026 that the government will roll out a graded points system for driving licences and vehicle registration certificates, assigning penalty points for each traffic violation and suspending or cancelling licences once a threshold is crossed. Motorists who keep low point totals may receive incentives, potentially from insurers, while habitual offenders will face stricter penalties.

The ministry is also expanding driver-training infrastructure, targeting 1,600 centres nationwide; currently 24 are functional and 112 are in the pipeline, having already trained roughly 10 lakh drivers. Gadkari announced the upcoming Bharat NCAP 2.0, slated for October 2027, which will evaluate the entire vehicle safety chain and incorporate new technologies from Indian startups. He also unveiled a scheme to retrofit BS IV vehicles with an emission-control device costing about Rs 4,000-5,000, promising BS VI-level cuts in PM and NOx. These measures aim to curb India’s high road-accident toll of about five lakh crashes and 1.80 lakh deaths each year, most among 18-36-year-olds.