Shortage of 22 lakh skilled drivers in India, says Nitin Gadkari in LS

New Delhi: The country is facing a shortage of 22 lakh skilled divers, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday, underlining that lack of proper training facilities for them was leading to many accidents.

During the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Gadkari said the Centre has launched a Rs 4,500 crore scheme for setting up training institutes for drivers.

According to a World Bank report, India has a shortage of 22 lakh drivers, he said.

The minister said the country also lacked proper driving training facilities, leading to many accidents and deaths.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has started a Rs 4,500 crore scheme to set up driving training institutes across the country in a phased manner to set up 1,600 such institutes in all states and Union Territories, he said.

Gadkari said these will generate over 60 lakh employment.

He said all the states and UTs were requested to send suitable proposals for setting up of Institute of Driving Training & Research (IDTRs), Regional Driving Training Centres (RDTCs) and Driving Training Centres(DTCs), including the cluster approach.

The minister said about 1.8 lakh people die every year due to road accidents and many of them due to untrained drivers.