Government is planning to make FASTags mandatory for all the vehicles from December 2019 onwards. Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari, has announced that FASTags will become mandatory for all vehicles from December this year. FASTag enabled vehicles can cruise through the dedicated FASTag lane without stopping at toll plazas on National Highways.

Launching the new website of his Ministry in New Delhi, Mr Gadkari said, over 52 lakh FASTags have been issued till date. FASTags are being issued by 22 certified banks through various channels such as Point-of-Sale at NH toll plazas and selected bank branches. 

The Minister also expressed hope that the Motor Vehicles Act 2019 will help curb road accidents and bring down fatalities. He said, his Ministry has initiated steps to implement the act. Mr Gadkari said, 63 clauses which do not require framing of new rules, have been sent to Law Ministry for vetting. These clauses deal with penalties, licences, registration and National Transport Policy.

What are FASTags? 

FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it. It is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables to drive through toll plazas without stopping for transactions. The tag can be purchased from official Tag issuers or participating Banks and if it is linked to a prepaid account, then recharging or top-up can be as per requirement. As per NHAI, FASTag has unlimited validity. 7.5% cashback offers were also provided to promote the use of FASTag. Dedicated Lanes at some Toll plazas have been built for FASTag.