The Maharashtra Cabinet has announced that starting April 1, FASTag stickers will be mandatory for all vehicles in the state. In line with this, the government plans to amend the Public-Private Partnership Policy of 2014 to streamline infrastructure development and toll collection under the new directive.

The move is aimed at promoting digital payments and reducing congestion at toll booths, thereby improving efficiency across Maharashtra’s road network. Officials emphasised that the implementation of FASTag is crucial for simplifying toll payments and easing traffic flow.

Additionally, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced updated guidelines to support the wider adoption of FASTag.

This development follows the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) initiative, "One Vehicle, One FASTag," launched on April 1, 2024. The initiative seeks to prevent the misuse of FASTags, such as issuing multiple tags for a single vehicle or linking several FASTags to one vehicle. The NHAI introduced this measure due to concerns over the issuance of FASTags without completing the mandatory KYC process, violating Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines.

(India Today)