New Delhi: In order to put a check on issuance of multiple driving licences by different authorities to a single person, the government of India is now preparing a database, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. According to a report by PTI, Gadkari further stated that India is suffering a shortage of around 22 lakh drivers and a skilled force is being created to address the issue and driverless cars are not an option in the near future. "To check issuance of multiple licensees to any individual, the government is creating a database of driving licences. At present, getting a licence is much easier in India and there are instances where individuals possess multiple licences issued by different states," said the Road Transport and Highways Ministry at an event here.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader further said that there are various authorities that issue licences without conducting tests and to curb the same, government is in the process to set up multiple drivers training centres. The minister also stressed on not opting the option of driverless cars in the country as this will consume employment of the youth.

Gadkari, while addressing an event conducted for creating mass movement for road safety, also expressed grief about India being the country for highest number of road accidents globally. As per the data, nearly 1.5 people die due to road accident every year. He further mentioned that there are various initiatives taken by the government to curb road accidents. These include correction in road engineering, imparting training to drivers, making automobile designs safer and identifying trouble areas.

"We have made it compulsory for even economy model vehicles to be fitted with airbags besides making reforms in automobile engineering," PTI quoted Gadkari as saying.The length of national highways was also being increased to accommodate more vehicles and road designs were being improved, Gadkari added further.