The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH), Government of India amended Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 to standardize the form and manner in which registration numbers are displayed across the country. The existing methodology was found to be riddled with flaws, notable amongst them being:

• The common public, in the absence of any standardization and in an attempt to personalize the plates paint the registration marks in any fancy painting, any size, with undesirable monograms etc.
• Tampering with registration plates is very easy, whereby criminals easily replace plates. This also encourages robberies and road based crimes.
• Deceptive / fancy registration plates also create a lot of inconvenience in the identification of vehicles in road based crimes, road rage and / or hit and run cases.
• Under the existing system, all records are manually stored in the Regional Transport Offices / District Transport Offices which makes it very difficult to pull out records if required on an urgent basis. With the implementation of the HSRP scheme, all records pertaining to vehicle owners along with the registration numbers will be digitized thus enabling in the creation of a National repository of records.
• In the existing system, registration plates are fitted by roadside vendors which raises issues about variation in the quality of the Registration Plates. With standardization, the quality of these plates would also improve tremendously thereby leading in an increased life span of the product.

The HSRP scheme was launched and implemented citing the following benefits:

• Standardization of the number plate display format across the country.
• To digitize data for all vehicles under a unified central body, i.e. the NIC (National Informatics Centre)
• To curb thefts of vehicles and vehicle borne crime since HSRPs could only be issued by the local Registering Authority post due verification.
• To make the Registration Plates Uniform for different vehicles so that new technologies like Laser Identification Recognition Readers can be introduced at a later date.
• To regulate the issuance of Registration Plates so that illegal plates cannot be sold and distributed by miscreants.
• Improvement of the security scenario in the State by assisting law enforcing authorities in tackling road related crimes.

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  Retro Reflective Sheet (RRS):

  This is a flexible material primarily used in products wherein it is important to increase night time visibility in an approaching drivers’ headlamps e.g. HSRP, traffic lights, high visibility clothing etc. HSRP uses high grade RRS which thus ensures enhanced visibility from a distance of over 200 metres.

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• Chromium Based Hologram:

  Holograms are used in many products chiefly as a security feature. The hologram is hot stamped at an extremely high temperature which makes it practically impossible to be removed or tampered with using bare hands. The hologram also bears the image of a “Chakra” in blue colour which further strengthens the security feature.

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• Hot Stamped Film with Security Inscript:

  The letters / numerals are hot stamped with a specialized hot stamping foil bearing the inscription “India” in blue colour. The type of ink used for this inscription is based on pearlescent pigments which causes the change in colour of the product while viewing from different viewing angles. This further acts as a deterrent for fake registration plate manufacturers.

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• Laser etched Alpha Numeric Code:

  This is a laser alpha numeric code of minimum 9 digits, etched in the bottom left hand corner of the HSRP. This code is unique to a plate and is used for linking the details of the vehicle owner to that of the central database stored in a secure server. In the not too distant future, traffic wardens would be equipped with LID readers which would aid in quickly identifying miscreants in hit and run / road rage cases.

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• Third License Plate sticker (TLP):

  As an enhanced security feature, apart from the registration marks (HSRP) on the front and rear of the vehicle; a third registration mark in the form of a self destructive chromium based hologram sticker is affixed on the top left corner of the windshield of vehicles. Details such as registration number, front / rear LID numbers, registering authority details are provided in this sticker. In the event of replacement of either the front or rear HSRP, this sticker compulsorily needs to be replaced.

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• Snap Lock:

  This is an external fastening device used for bolting the HSRP on the customers’ vehicle. The design of the snap lock is such that once fastened, it can not be removed or reused in it's original form. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, the use of such snap locks is restricted to the rear of a vehicle. The snap lock system is a globally acclaimed and recognized system for the fitment of HSRP.