Ministry of Road Transport amends MV Rules Mandating Adherence to AIS-155

News:Union Ministry of Road Transport has issued rules regarding Automotive Industry Standards(AIS)-155 in respect of Microdot identifiers to be affixed on the motor vehicles and their parts.

Facts:

About the rules:

• The rules amends the Rule 92 of the Central Motor vehicles (Fourteenth Amendment) Rules 1989.
• It says that the Manufacturers who are affixing microdot identifiers in the motor vehicles and their parts shall conform to Automotive Industry Standards(AIS)-155 as amended from time to time.
• The AIS standards are developed by the Automotive Industry Standards Committee(AISC) set up under Central Motor Vehicles Rules – Technical Standing Committee(CMVR-TSC) by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

About Microdot Technology:

• Microdots are a globally proven technology to ensure originality in spare parts of machines and components including in the automobile sector.
• The microdot technology involves spraying thousands of microscopic dots onto vehicles or other assets to form a unique identification.
• Each microdot carries this identification which is registered to the owner, but is not visible to the naked eye.

Significance of this technology:

• Every year,14 lakh vehicles are stolen across the country with Delhi topping the list at 38,644 in 2016 which translates to over 100 vehicles daily.
• Hence,the government has envisaged that with microdots becoming a permanent feature in vehicles, identifying them would become easier in case they are stolen.
• The move will ensure that consumers have a way of identifying original parts from fake ones and that contributes to overall safety as well.