One Nation One Fastag

News:Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways will be inaugurating a conference on One Nation One FASTag in New Delhi.

Facts:

About the conference:

• The conference will see the signing of MoUs with state departments / other agencies for bringing in a unified electronic tolling solution across the country. 
• This would mean enabling the use of the same FASTag affixed on the windscreen of a vehicle at every toll plaza in the country under the jurisdiction of different states and other entities.

About FASTag:

• FASTag is a reloadable tag that allows automatic deduction of toll without having to stop for carrying out the cash transaction. 
• The tag is linked to a prepaid account from which the applicable toll amount is deducted
• The tag uses radio frequency identification(RFID) technology and is fixed on the windscreen of the vehicle once active.
• The tag is valid for five years and comes in seven different colours — violet, orange, yellow, green, pink, blue, black.Each colour is assigned to a particular category of vehicles.

Significance of FASTag:

• FASTag is a perfect solution for a hassle free trip on national highways.
• It reduces air pollution and will also reduce the use of paper 
• It will also reduce the toll payment hassles and provide analytics for better highway management   
• It will also provide ease of payment as there will be no need to carry cash for the toll transactions.

Additional information:

About RFID:

• Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object. 
• A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.