New Delhi: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) during an event held in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Addressing the event Gadkari said, “The mission for all of us is to make Indian automobile industry the no1 manufacturing hub. It is difficult, but it is possible.”
Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP):
Bharat NCAP aims to enhance road safety in India by elevating the safety benchmarks for motor vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. Car manufacturers will have the option to submit their cars for testing under Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.
The primary objective of Bharat NCAP is to provide consumers with a valuable tool to compare and evaluate the crash safety features of different vehicles available in the market.
Gadkari highlighted that people prioritise quality and are highly concerned about safety and pollution.
“One thing you must remember is that the people are quality conscious. Now people are very cautious about the safety. People are very cautious about pollution. I feel that if any new option is there alternatives there. People are ready to accept that,” Gadkari said.
Cars will get star ratings evaluating their performance in tests for Adult Occupants (AOP) and Child Occupants (COP). These ratings will indicate the potential damage a car might experience in case of an accident.
Consumers can use the star ratings as a guide when choosing a vehicle to purchase.
The government anticipates that the programme will increase demand for safer vehicles and motivate manufacturers to meet consumers requirements.
The high safety benchmarks have the potential to enhance the global competitiveness of Indian cars and increase the export potential of the car manufacturers in India.
The notification for Bharat NCAP has been approved by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways and it will be fully operational from October 1.
Global NCAP
In 2011, the UK charity Towards Zero Foundation established the Global NCAP, aiming to improve collaboration among different NCAPs. Its goal was to advance vehicle crash testing and reporting in developing markets.
The United States first started a programme aimed at delivering crash-related car safety information to consumers in 1978. Following this initiative, various regions, including Euro NCAP, Australasian NCAP, Japan NCAP, ASEAN NCAP, and China NCAP, adopted similar programmes inspired by the American model.