NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in a bid to benefit skilled persons from economically backward sections, has decided to do away with the minimum educational qualification for driving a transport vehicle.
Currently, for a person to drive a transport vehicle, one has to be Class VIII pass. “In many parts of the country, there are people who have not received formal education but are literate and skilled. To benefit these persons, the decision to do away with this clause was taken,” a ministry official said.
The move comes weeks after the Haryana government, in a meeting, requested the ministry to relax the educational qualifications for drivers from the economically backward Mewat region. The population of this region is substantially dependent on low-income jobs like driving for livelihood.
“The Haryana government had submitted a petition that many people of Mewat had the required skill but not the educational qualification and were finding it difficult to obtain driving licences,” the official. The ministry felt that driving competence was more important than education for obtaining driving licences.
Job opportunities
According to the ministry, the move will open up job opportunities and will help bridge the shortage of 22 lakh drivers in transport and logistics sector.