Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the country’s first crash testing programme Bharat NCAP aimed at improving road safety standards of motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) is India’s own crash testing programme and is cheaper than tests conducted abroad.
The star ratings will help buyers understand the quality of the product and make an informed purchase decision. Bharat NCAP will be implemented from October 1, 2023.
What is Bharat NCAP programme?
• Bharat NCAP programme is designed to provide a fair, meaningful and objective assessment of crash safety performance of cars on the basis of standard laboratory tests as per Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.
• The overall assessment is based on the performance of the vehicle model when evaluated under three areas of assessment. They are:
i) Adult Occupant Protection
ii) Child Occupant Protection
iii) Safety Assist Technologies.
• Under the programme, car manufacturers can voluntarily offer their vehicles tested as per AIS 197.
• Based on the performance of the car in the tests, the vehicle will be awarded star ratings on a scale of 0-5.
Expected outcomes:
• It introduces the concept of safety rating of passenger cars and empowers consumers to make informed decisions.
• The programme will encourage manufacturers to provide advanced safety technologies to earn higher ratings.
• With high safety standards, Indian cars will be able to compete better in the global market, increasing the export potential of the car manufacturers in India.
• The programme is expected to develop a safety sensitive car market in India.
• The automobile industry is one of the largest employers and biggest tax-paying sector to the government. This industry is giving maximum GST to the state and central government.
• The industry has created over 4 crore jobs and its overall GDP contribution is 6.5 per cent.
• It is expected that the demand for safer cars will increase, encouraging car manufacturers to comply with customer needs.
