The Government has decided to do away with the requirement of minimum educational qualification which is required for obtaining driver’s licence. The main aim of the dropping the qualification clause is to give a boost to the employment opportunities among the people who rely on a driver’s job for their daily livings, said the road transport ministry.
At present according to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, a transport vehicle driver must have studied up to class 8.
"In a move to benefit skilled persons from economically underprivileged sections of the society, the ministry of road transport and highways has decided to remove the requirement of minimum educational qualification for driving a transport vehicle," according to an official statement.
The statement further said that the removal of the clause will open employment opportunities for a large number of unemployed persons, especially youth and will also help in filling nearly 22 lakh vacant posts of drivers in transports and logistics. There are large numbers of unemployed persons in rural India who may not have a formal education but otherwise are literate and skilled.
"However, while removing the requirement of minimum educational qualification, the Ministry has strongly emphasized upon training and skill testing of drivers so that road safety is not compromised in any way," the statement added