LUCKNOW, Jan. 22 -- The Uttar Pradesh government is shifting towards a structured, technology-driven driver-training system, with renewed emphasis on Accredited Driving Training Centres (ADTCs). The move is aimed at tightening the driving licence process and improving road safety. A key component of the proposed overhaul is the transition to a fully online system for the accreditation, monitoring and renewal of driver training centres. Dayashankar Singh, minister of state, transport (independent charge), said that applications for setting up and operating ADTCs will now be accepted exclusively through a newly developed online portal, replacing the existing offline mechanism. The portal is expected to be launched shortly and is aimed at enhancing transparency and regulatory oversight. Singh said that the initiative follows recent amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), which revised provisions for the establishment and operation of accredited driver training centres. The objective, he said, is to ensure that only adequately trained and skilled drivers are issued permanent driving licences. "The intent is to make driver training scientific, standardised and systematic. Road safety begins with trained drivers," Singh said, underlining that the licensing process cannot remain a formality if road fatalities are to be reduced. Currently, DL-related processes in 58 districts- excluding the Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) and Driving Training Testing Institutes (DTTI), are being carried out offline. Once the portal becomes operational, all such applications will be processed digitally, officials said. One ADTC is to be established for every 10 lakh population. Singh said the transport department is presently operating such centres in around 21 districts, and efforts are underway to expand their reach across the state. In the past few months, ADTCs equipped with simulators and automated testing facilities have started operations in select districts, including Ghaziabad, where the traditional RTO-based driving test has been replaced with technology-driven assessment. In districts such as Lakhimpur Kheri, mandatory structured training hours have been introduced before applicants can appear for a driving test, signalling a departure from the earlier one day evaluation model. A senior official said the state is also expanding modern infrastructure such as Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTRs), automated driving test tracks and regional training centres, in line with national reforms that provide longer accreditation validity and a standardised curriculum. Transport department sources said once fully implemented, the new framework is expected to change how driving skills are assessed in the state, making it difficult for untrained drivers to obtain licences....