Nitin Gadkari Chairs National Transport Ministers’ Meet; Pushes Unified Reforms on Road Safety

Two-day national workshop aligns Centre and States on digitisation, road safety, vehicle reforms and sustainable mobility.

 

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today chaired the Annual Meeting of Transport Ministers from all States and Union Territories in New Delhi, setting the direction for a coordinated, reform-driven transformation of India’s road transport ecosystem.

The high-level engagement focused on road safety, passenger and public convenience, ease of doing business, digitisation of transport services, and automobile and emissions regulations, reinforcing the need for close Centre–State coordination in a sector governed under the Concurrent List of the Constitution.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Gadkari emphasised that continuous consultation between the Union and State Governments is essential to strengthen cooperative federalism and deliver safe, efficient, and citizen-centric transport systems across the country.

Two-Day National Workshop to Drive Transport Sector Transformation

The annual meeting culminated a two-day national workshop held on 7–8 January 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, designed to holistically deliberate challenges, solutions, and implementation pathways for the road transport sector.

• Day 1 (7 January) focused on technical and administrative discussions with Transport Secretaries of States and UTs, chaired by Secretary, Road Transport & Highways, Shri V. Umashankar, with Additional Secretary Shri Mahmood Ahmed setting the themes for deliberations.

• Day 2 (8 January) brought together Hon’ble Transport Ministers, chaired by Shri Nitin Gadkari, where policy directions were aligned and refined, with a strong focus on road safety, including a renewed emphasis on the Road Safety Pledge.

The discussions concluded with the 43rd Transport Development Council (TDC) meeting, where inputs from transport associations such as AIMTC, BOCI, and other stakeholders were deliberated with Ministers and senior officials.

Key Reform Areas Discussed

During the workshop, States and the Centre aligned on specific actions across ten priority areas:

1. Digitisation and Standardisation of Transport ServicesProgress under Vahan and Sarathi platforms was reviewed, with a focus on standardising over 100 online transport services, reducing physical visits, and harmonising workflows to improve ease of living and ease of doing business. Emphasis was also placed on improving data quality, classification, and secure data-sharing frameworks.

2. Motor Vehicle Reforms and Legislative AmendmentsProposed amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, including Jan Vishwas 2.0, were discussed to simplify compliance, decriminalise minor offences, enhance regulatory clarity, and strengthen road safety.

3. Road Safety and Post-Crash CareDeliberations focused on reducing road fatalities through safer infrastructure, better enforcement, and stronger emergency response systems. States reviewed readiness for the statutory cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims, integration with 112 services, and scaling up of e-DAR as the single accident data reporting system.

4. Vehicular Safety and Engineering StandardsEnhanced safety norms for buses, sleeper coaches, and passenger vehicles were discussed, including bus body codes, BNCAP ratings, and the phased introduction of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

5. District-Level Road Safety InitiativesInitiatives such as Zero Fatality Districts, strengthening District Road Safety Committees, and improved utilisation of District Road Safety Funds were reviewed.

6. Sustainable Transport and Vehicle ScrappingStates reviewed progress on the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, including expansion of Automated Testing Stations (ATS) and Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs), alongside incentives to accelerate fleet modernisation.

7. Emissions and PUCC 2.0Implementation of PUCC 2.0 was reviewed, with emphasis on uniform enforcement, improved audits, and data security of emissions testing systems.

8. Intelligent Transport Systems and e-EnforcementStrengthening e-challan systems, e-enforcement, Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs), and command-and-control centres was discussed to improve compliance, women’s safety, and real-time monitoring.

9. Driver Training and Capacity BuildingThe need to expand Driver Training Institutes (DTIs), Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTRs), and regional training centres was emphasised to improve driving skills and road safety outcomes.

10. Sadak Suraksha Mitra ProgrammeThe Ministry highlighted the Sadak Suraksha Mitra (SSM) initiative, launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, to empower trained youth volunteers to support district-level road safety efforts, accident hotspot identification, and basic post-crash assistance.

Key Outcomes and Decisions

Among the major takeaways from the two-day deliberations:

• Nationwide standardisation of online transport services, including inter-State processes such as NOCs and ownership transfer

• Large-scale data sanitisation of vehicle and licence records to enable data-driven policymaking

• Rollout of a central digital data-sharing framework, compliant with the DPDP Act

• Strengthening oversight of vehicle scrapping and testing infrastructure

• Nationwide onboarding to PUCC 2.0 and e-DAR

• Mandatory 100% HSRP affixation for vehicles registered before 1 April 2019

• Exploration of a points-based system for tracking traffic violations

Towards a Safer, Digital and Future-Ready Transport System

In his concluding address, Shri Gadkari called for integrating these reforms into a cohesive, forward-looking vision for India’s transport sector.

“Our collective efforts—across the Centre, States, and stakeholders—will lay the foundation for a transport system that is safer, more efficient, digitally empowered, and responsive to the needs of every citizen,” he said.

Officials said the outcomes of the meeting will guide policy actions and implementation over the coming year, with a strong focus on road safety, sustainability, and ease of doing business.