New Delhi |
The Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), promoted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), organized a workshop in New Delhi. The workshop was with leading FinTech companies to explore innovative applications of the FASTag system. The event aimed to expand FASTag’s role beyond toll collection and support its next phase of digital growth.
The workshop was attended by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of State Shri Ajay Tamta, Secretary MoRTH Shri V. Umashankar, Secretary, Department of Financial Services Shri M. Nagaraju, RBI Executive Director Shri P. Vasudevan, NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, and other senior officials from MoRTH, NHAI, IHMCL, and representatives of major FinTech firms.
Speaking at the event, Shri Nitin Gadkari said,
“The FASTag ecosystem has immense potential beyond tolling. It can become a platform for seamless digital travel experiences. With support from FinTechs, we aim to make FASTag a robust tool for transport, mobility services, and user convenience.”
Secretary Shri V. Umashankar highlighted India’s FinTech innovation landscape and stressed the need for a toll system that is cashless, convenient, and fraud-free.
“FinTech is the innovation provider, and the government will be the facilitator,” he said.
NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav added that the discussions would help enhance the utility of FASTag for varied needs of highway users. Member (Administration), NHAI, Shri Vishal Chauhan, emphasized the importance of leveraging technology to improve tolling systems.
The workshop included focused sessions with FinTech experts discussing new use cases of FASTag such as:
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EV charging
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Parking solutions
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Insurance integration
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Flexible digital payments
A key highlight was the promotion of Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) Tolling, a barrierless tolling technology using RFID and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. This innovation aims to eliminate stops at toll booths and enable seamless, high-speed transactions.
Currently, FASTag covers 1,728 toll plazas (1,113 on National Highways and 615 on State Highways), with 98.5% of tolls collected digitally. Over 11.04 crore FASTags have been issued through 38 banks under the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme.
The workshop highlighted the government’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technologies into the highway ecosystem, thereby ensuring enhanced governance, improved user convenience, and digital innovation in transportation.
