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Time of India
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Road ministry plans to expand the use of FASTags to other sectors beyond toll collection
The ministry of road transport and highways is exploring ways to expand the use of FASTag for charging of electric vehicles , parking and insurance, over and above paying for the toll on national highways, to firm up the next phase of growth for FASTag besides enhancing user convenience and fostering good governance through integration of technology. The Indian Highways and Management Company (IHMCL), under the administrative control of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), on Wednesday held a workshop with fintech companies to explore innovative applications of the FASTag system. 'The objective of the workshop was to gather insights from leading fintech players on various aspects such as regulatory compliance, grievance redressal, security, and non-toll applications of FASTag to expand its use and support its next phase of growth,' the ministry said in a statement issued after the meeting. The workshop also aimed at building awareness among the fintech companies about multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling to encourage their active participation in this technology-driven transformation of tolling infrastructure, the ministry added. MLFF tolling is a barrier-less tolling that enables transactions through reading of FASTag and vehicle registration number (VRN) by high performance RFID readers and automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. Live Events The national electronic toll collection (NETC) FASTag programme operates across 1,728 toll plazas (1,113 national highways and 615 state highways), contributing to 98.5% of toll payments. India has roughly 110.4 million FASTags issued by over 38 banks. 'The FASTag ecosystem has immense potential, not just for tolling, but as a foundation for seamless digital travel experiences across the country,' road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said. 'Through collaboration with fintechs and other stakeholders, we aim to expand the utility of FASTag into a robust platform that will enhance user convenience, streamline transport and mobility services, and bring greater efficiency to the sector,' Gadkari added. According to road secretary V Umashankar, the essence of this workshop is to look at the toll collection mechanisms and how to make it cashless, convenient, time-efficient, fraud-free, and error-free tolling in a collaborative manner. 'We envision fintech as a provider of innovation and the government will be the facilitator to create an end product that will provide a better experience to the road user,' he added. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- The Hindu
Man duped of ₹2.28 lakh in UPI refund scam while travelling for mother's funeral
What began as a payment error at a toll gate turned into a financial scam for a 42-year-old private employee from Hyderabad, who ended up losing over ₹2.28 lakh to an online fraudster posing as a representative of Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The victim was en route to Karnataka to attend his mother's funeral and booked a cab for ₹11,000. After paying ₹4,000 for fuel, he agreed to pay the remaining ₹7,000 upon arrival. However, at a toll gate, he mistakenly scanned a QR code linked to SBI FASTAG NETC, intending to pay the driver but instead it was an unrelated payment. Alarmed, he reported the issue to Canara Bank's Emmiganuru branch, which acknowledged the complaint and advised him to contact UPI officials. Searching online for help, the victim found a phone number claiming to be from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Trusting the source, he called it, unaware that it was part of an elaborate scam. The man on the other end, claiming to be a UPI support agent, instructed him to lodge a complaint and promised a swift refund. To facilitate the refund, the fraudster convinced the victim to transfer money using the PhonePe app, claiming the amount would be instantly returned. He was then told the transaction was 'on hold' and asked to send more funds to complete the process. Misled and desperate to recover his money, the victim followed further instructions, including opening his Canara Bank mobile app, increasing his credit limit, and sharing sensitive ATM and OTP details. The fraudster used this information to siphon off the remaining funds. Despite repeated follow-ups and assurances of a full refund within five minutes, the victim received no money. The fraudster eventually became unreachable. The victim lodged an online complaint on cybercrime portal. The case is under investigation.
