Smart Card
Rajee Savla, Times Drive, Times of India – Ahmedabad,

The Smart Optical Card for Vehicle Registration Certificate is an e-governance initiative of the Government of Gujarat. The project aims to provide a hi-tech, innovative, secure and convenient service to all vehicle owners in the state.

The Project is being jointly executed by Shonkh Technologies International Ltd. (STIL) and CA Satyam ASP Pvt. Ltd. (C&S). The Project is being operated on a BOOT mode with STIL being the BOOT operator and C&S the technology and implementation partner.

The Smart Optical Card is aimed at replacing conventional paper based Vehicle Registration Certificates with a Smart Optical Card, making life easier and safer for the vehicle owner. The Smart Optical Card is an amazing piece of technology. It is the size of a regular ATM card but is capable of storing over 80 times more data. Unlike other smart cards it can also store graphical data. To top it all, the data is unalterable and hence the card is completely tamper-proof.

The card carries a chip that stores textual data related to the vehicle. The card’s rugged construction derived from its polycarbonate material (the same material fighter jet canopies are made of) makes it durable and long lasting. It is also convenient and easy to carry. Under the BOOT model, the entire infrastructure for creating the card – creating an ambient setting inside the RTO, procuring and installing highly specialized equipment, recruiting and training the manpower, managing the workflow of entering data, personalizing information and printing cards is managed by the implementation and technology partner.

The smart card is a highly secure medium of data storage. It carries information relating to the vehicle, registration information, tax details, hypothecation details, first time insurance details and vehicle owner’s details. The card also carried graphical information like the owner’s photograph and his signature; it carries the chassis number shading of the vehicle and the RTO’s signature. Data on the card can not be tampered with and the card can not be duplicated, thus providing vehicle owners with a greater level of security against theft and re-registration. All information about vehicles including their registration details, tax details, owner’s details can be accessed from the entire process is now tracked on project computers so that vehicle owners can tell exactly at what point of the process their RC book is. The RTO authorities and traffic department can also use the card to check for defaulters and offenders on the road using handheld readers. These readers can read the card, record fresh offence and prompt for appropriate.

The card is dust-proof, oil-proof, grease-proof and water-proof. It can easily be carried in the owner’s pocket or wallet. It also becomes a one-point of information for all vehicle details removing the need for multiple sets of documents in the vehicle’s glove box.

The project is a step forward in the nation’s march towards a complete e-governance model. The Government of Gujarat is one of the earliest adopters of the Smart Optical Card for Vehicle Registration Certification, for more details contact the RTO office or call 7561921