New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways plans to launch a Safety assessment rating for trucks and commercial vehicles along the lines of the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP), the country's own four-wheel star rating system, said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for road transport and Highways, onThursday.

'The idea is to encourage manufacturers to improve the production quality, making vehicles safer. Similarly, the government is already working on standards and a safety assessment system for battery-operated e-rickshaws in the country, as they suffer from safety issues. The safety improvement in e-rickshaws will improve their quality and generate more employment,' said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, while inaugurating a two-day workshop on Vehicle and Fleet safety jointly organised by the New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP ) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE).

The Bharat New Car Assessment Programme was launched by Gadkari in 2023 and aims to enhance road safety by elevating vehicle safety standards for up to 3.5-tonne vehicles in India.

'India accounts for the highest number of fatal road accidents, with 4.8 lakh road crashes each year resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths. the government's top priorities are road safety, expansion of safe highways and vehicle safety and bolstering electric vehicles. The ministry is also working on reducing logistics costs to 9 per cent in the next couple of years from the present 14-16 per cent, as the automobile industry plays a key role in India's economic growth,' said Gadkari.

'The Ministry of Roadways is also working on a law to determine the working hours for truck drivers; at present, they drive for 13-14 hours a day. As the country is facing a shortage of truck drivers, the government also plans to set up 32 state-of-the-art driving institutes across the country. Air conditioning of driver compartments has already been mandatory by the Ministry. Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS) to assist drivers has also been made mandatory, ' the minister said. (ANI)