Lok Sabha Question No. 3310 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Shortage of Truck Drivers
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Shri Jagannath Sarkar

be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  Government has conducted any assessment regarding the shortage of truck drivers in the country and the total number of registered truck drivers, state-wise;
- (b)  the  present  estimated  shortfall  of  heavy  commercial  vehicle drivers at the national level and State-wise including West Bengal;
- (c)  the  number  of  Driver  Training  Institutes  (DTIs),  Institutes  of Driving  Training  &  Research  (IDTRs)  and  Regional  Driving  Training Centres sanctioned and operational in the country, State-wise;
- (d) the number of such institutes sanctioned and functional in West Bengal, along with their training capacity and utilisation; and

(e) the steps taken to increase the number of trained truck drivers, including  skill  development  initiatives,  simulator-based  training, financial assistance and incentives to attract youth and women into the profession?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3310 ANSWERED ON 12 th  MARCH, 2026

## SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS

3310. SHRI JAGANNATH SARKAR:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

- (a)&(b)    As per the SARATHI database a total of 1,80,31,311 (Statewise  data  is  attached  at  Annexure-I)  driving licences  has  been issued and are valid as on date for driving  the transport vehicles, which  includes  Heavy  Goods  vehicle,  Heavy  Passenger  vehicle, Medium Goods vehicle and Medium Passenger vehicle categories. Further, the  total  number  of  registered  trucks  as  per VAHAN database in the country are 65,72,483 (State wise data of trucks is attached at Annexure-II).

(c)&(d)   The  status of Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR),  Regional  Driving  Training  Centres  (RDTCs)  and  Driving Training  Centres  (DTCs)  sanctioned  by  the  Government  are  at Annexure III, IV and V respectively.

Further,  a  total  of  3,258  drivers  have  been  trained  at  Driving Training  Institute  (DTI),  Jessore  in  West  Bengal  from  2015-16  to 2025-26.

- (e)       To  enhance  the  skills  and  employability  of  youth  including truck drivers, the Government administers a scheme for setting up of IDTRs, RDTCs and DTCs at State/district level across the Country. On 15.01.2025 revised scheme guidelines have been issued, incorporating enhanced financial assistance and streamlined eligibility  criteria  for  establishing  Driving  Training  Institutes.  The revised guidelines also provide for simulator based training and give preference to women only RTDCs over others.

Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (MSDE)  is implementing  its  flagship  Scheme  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) since 2015. Under PMKVY, skill training is imparted through  Short  Term  Training  (STT)  and  Re-skilling  and  Up-skilling through  Recognition  of  Prior  Learning  (RPL)  to  youth  across  the country. Currently, the PMKVY 4.0 is being implemented from the FY 2022-23.  Since  the  inception  of  the  PMKVY,  2,10,409  candidates have been certified in various job roles related to vehicle driving.

ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  &  (b)  OF  LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3310  ANSWERED  ON  12 TH MARCH,  2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI  JAGANNATH  SARKAR  REGARDING SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS

| State Name                  |   Transport Validity |
|-----------------------------|----------------------|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands |                 5924 |
| Andhra Pradesh              |               409960 |
| Arunachal Pradesh           |                42516 |
| Assam                       |               201310 |
| Bihar                       |               388744 |
| Chhattisgarh                |               237159 |
| Chandigarh                  |                14853 |
| Daman and Diu               |                 7241 |
| Delhi                       |                70751 |
| Goa                         |                83398 |
| Gujarat                     |               737615 |
| Himachal Pradesh            |               144318 |
| Haryana                     |               473157 |
| Jharkhand                   |               257029 |
| Jammu and Kashmir           |               168378 |
| Karnataka                   |               786287 |
| Kerala                      |               780805 |
| Ladakh                      |                 6618 |
| Lakshadweep                 |                  350 |
| Maharashtra                 |              4548081 |
| Meghalaya                   |                46710 |
| Manipur                     |                15504 |
| Madhya Pradesh              |               754197 |
| Mizoram                     |                10763 |
| Nagaland                    |                10364 |
| Odisha                      |               292605 |
| Punjab                      |               366505 |
| Puducherry                  |                28654 |
| Rajasthan                   |              1287875 |
| Sikkim                      |                10213 |
| Telangana                   |               464336 |
| Tamil Nadu                  |              2417157 |
| Tripura                     |                23332 |
| Uttarakhand                 |               100085 |
| Uttar Pradesh               |              2047057 |
| West Bengal                 |               791460 |
| Total                       |             18031311 |

## ANNEXURE-II

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  &  (b)  OF  LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3310  ANSWERED  ON  12 TH MARCH,  2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI  JAGANNATH  SARKAR  REGARDING SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS

| StateName                |   Registered truck Vehicle (till 08-03-2026) |
|--------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Andaman & Nicobar Island |                                         2088 |
| Andhra Pradesh           |                                       280821 |
| Arunachal Pradesh        |                                        12199 |
| Assam                    |                                       104300 |
| Bihar                    |                                       190271 |
| Chandigarh               |                                         3336 |
| Chhattisgarh             |                                       207212 |
| Delhi                    |                                        78155 |
| Goa                      |                                        23497 |
| Gujarat                  |                                       504742 |
| Haryana                  |                                       461309 |
| Himachal Pradesh         |                                        90489 |
| Jammu and Kashmir        |                                        58415 |
| Jharkhand                |                                       201133 |
| Karnataka                |                                       568294 |
| Kerala                   |                                       165532 |
| Ladakh                   |                                         3829 |
| Lakshadweep              |                                            5 |
| Madhya Pradesh           |                                       263768 |
| Maharashtra              |                                       681260 |
| Manipur                  |                                        10168 |
| Meghalaya                |                                        31698 |
| Mizoram                  |                                         9834 |
| Nagaland                 |                                       185290 |
| Odisha                   |                                       304754 |
| Puducherry               |                                         5153 |
| Punjab                   |                                       204639 |
| Rajasthan                |                                       353197 |
| Sikkim                   |                                         5004 |
| Tamil Nadu               |                                       500305 |
| Telangana                |                                         1646 |
| Tripura                  |                                        16180 |
| UT of DNH and DD         |                                        29851 |
| Uttar Pradesh            |                                       499563 |
| Uttarakhand              |                                        72543 |
| West Bengal              |                                       442003 |
| Grand Total              |                                      6572483 |

Annexure-III

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  &  (d)  OF  LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3310  ANSWERED  ON  12 TH MARCH,  2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI  JAGANNATH  SARKAR  REGARDING SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS

Status of IDTR Project :

| Sr. No.          | State                                 | Project Location               |   Project Status |
|------------------|---------------------------------------|--------------------------------|------------------|
| ANDHRA PRADESH   | IDTR at Darsi                         | Construction stage             |                1 |
| ANDHRA PRADESH   | DTI at Vijayawada                     | Operational                    |                2 |
| ANDHRA PRADESH   | IDTR at Kurnool                       | Construction stage             |                3 |
| ASSAM            | DTI at Betkuchi, Guwahati             | Operational                    |                4 |
| BIHAR            | IDTR at Aurangabad                    | Operational                    |                5 |
| CHHATTISGARH     | IDTR at Naya Raipur                   | Completed but not ope rational |                6 |
| HARYANA          | IDTR at Bhiwani                       | Construction stage             |                7 |
| HARYANA          | DTI at Bahadurgarh                    | Operational                    |                8 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | IDTR at Sarkaghat                     | Construction stage             |                9 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | IDTR at Mandi                         | Operational                    |               10 |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR  | IDTR Ghaink, Balwal                   | Construction stage             |               11 |
| JHARKHAND        | IDTR at Jamshedpur                    | Construction stage             |               12 |
| KARNATAKA        | DTI at Hagari-bommanahall li/ Bellary | Operational                    |               13 |
| KERALA           | DTI at Edappal                        | Operational                    |               14 |
| MADHYA PRADESH   | IDTR at Chhindwara                    | Operational                    |               15 |
| MADHYA PRADESH   | DTI at Indore                         | Operational                    |               16 |
| MAHARASHTRA      | IDTR at Pune                          | Operational                    |               17 |
| MAHARASHTRA      | IDTR at Nagpur                        | Construction stage             |               18 |
| MAHARASHTRA      | IDTR at Latur                         | Completed but not ope rational |               19 |
| MANIPUR          | IDTR at Imphal                        | Construction stage             |               20 |
| NAGALAND         | DTI at Dimapur                        | Operational                    |               21 |

| 22.        | DELHI                  | DTI at Sarai Kali Khan            | Operational        |
|------------|------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------|
| 23. ODISHA | DTI at Chhatia, Jajpur | Operational                       |                    |
| 24.        | RAJASTHAN              | IDTR at Railmagara                | Operational        |
| 25.        | SIKKIM                 | IDTR at Pakyong                   | Construction stage |
| 26.        | TELANGANA              | IDTR at Sircilla                  | Construction stage |
| 27.        | TRIPURA                | IDTR at Agartala                  | Construction stage |
| UTTAR      | PRADESH                | IDTR at Raebareilly Completed but | 28. not            |
| 29.        |                        | DTI at Allen Forest, Kanpur       | Operational        |
| 30.        | UTTARAKHAND            | DTI at Jhajra, Dehradun           | Operational        |
| 31.        | WEST BENGAL            | DTI at Kolkata                    | Operational        |

## Annexure-IV

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  &  (d)  OF  LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3310  ANSWERED  ON  12 TH MARCH,  2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI  JAGANNATH  SARKAR  REGARDING SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS

## Status of RDTC Projects

| Sr. No.         | State                   | Project Location                                        |   Project Status |
|-----------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|------------------|
| CHHATTISGARH    | RDTC at Bastar          | Construction stage                                      |                1 |
|                 | RDTC at Bilaspur        | In principle approved.                                  |                2 |
| KARNATAKA       | RDTC at Ramanagar       | In principle approved.                                  |                3 |
| MADHYA PRADES H | RDTC at Bhopal          | Construction stage                                      |                4 |
|                 | RDTC Betul              | Construction stage                                      |                5 |
|                 | RDTC at Chhatarpur      | Construction stage                                      |                6 |
|                 | RDTC at Gwalior         | In principle approved.                                  |                7 |
|                 | RDTC at Ujjain          | In principle approved.                                  |                8 |
| MAHARASHTRA     | RDTC at Amravati        | Operational                                             |                9 |
|                 | RDTC at Nanded          | Construction stage                                      |               10 |
|                 | RDTC at Solapur         | Construction stage                                      |               11 |
|                 | RDTC at Nagpur          | Construction stage                                      |               12 |
|                 | RDTC at Wardha          | Completed but non operational                           |               13 |
|                 | RDTC at Yavatmal        | Construction stage                                      |               14 |
|                 | RDTC at Gondia          | In principle approved.                                  |               15 |
|                 | RDTC at Buldhana        | In principle approved.                                  |               16 |
|                 | RDTC at ChandrapurNewly | Sanctioned                                              |               17 |
| NAGALAND        | RDTC at Kohima          | Construction stage                                      |               18 |
| RAJASTHAN       | RDTC at Ajmer           | Project held up due to non-recei pt of funds from State |               19 |
|                 | RDTC at Hanumang arh    | Project held up due to non-recei pt of funds from State |               20 |
|                 | RDTC at Jaipur          | Construction stage                                      |               21 |
| WEST BENGAL     | RDTC at Kolkata         | Construction stage                                      |               22 |

## Annexure-V

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  &  (d)  OF  LOK SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3310  ANSWERED  ON  12 TH MARCH,  2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI  JAGANNATH  SARKAR  REGARDING SHORTAGE OF TRUCK DRIVERS

## Status of DTC Projects

| Sr. No.                              | State Project Location                     | Project Status           |
|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|--------------------------|
| 1.                                   | Assam DTC at Cachar                        | Construction not started |
| 2.                                   | Andhra Pradesh DTC at Anantapuramu/ Ananta | Newly Sanctioned         |
| 3. Arunachal Prade DTC at Raga Kamle | 3. Arunachal Prade DTC at Raga Kamle       | Construction stage       |
| sh 4.                                | DTC at Ziro, Lower Subansiri               | Construction stage       |
| 5. Bihar                             | DTC at Supaul                              | Construction not started |
| 6. Chhattisgarh                      | DTC at Surajpur                            | Construction stage       |
| 7.                                   | DTC at Korba                               | Construction stage       |
| 8.                                   | DTC at Rajnandgaon                         | Construction stage       |
| 9.                                   | DTC at Gariyaband                          | Construction stage       |
| 10.                                  | DTC at Dantewada                           | Construction stage       |
| 11.                                  | DTC at Dhamtari                            | Construction stage       |
| 12.                                  | DTC at Sarguja                             | Construction stage       |
| 13.                                  | DTC at Kabirdham                           | Construction stage       |
| 14.                                  | DTC at Durg                                | Construction stage       |
| 15.                                  | DTC at Janjgir-Champa                      | Construction stage       |
| 16.                                  | DTC at Janjgir-Champa                      | Newly Sanctioned         |
| 17.                                  | DTC at Balod                               | Newly Sanctioned         |
| 18.                                  | DTC at Mahasamund                          | Construction stage       |
| 19.                                  | DTC at Baloda Bazar                        | Newly Sanctioned         |
| 20. Karnataka                        | DTC at Koppal                              | Completed                |
| 21. Madhya Pradesh DTC at Singrauli  | 21. Madhya Pradesh DTC at Singrauli        | Completed                |
| 22.                                  | DTC at Dhar                                | Completed                |
| 23.                                  | DTC at Satna                               | Completed                |
| 24.                                  | DTC at Sidhi                               | Completed                |
| 25.                                  | DTC at Raisen                              | Completed                |
| 26.                                  | DTC at Patharaha,Rewa                      | Construction stage       |
| 27.                                  | DTC at Bedhauaa, Rewa                      | Construction stage       |
| 28.                                  | DTC at Dewas                               | Construction stage       |
| 29.                                  | DTC at Vidisha                             | Construction stage       |
| 30.                                  | DTC at Damoh                               | Construction not started |
| 31.                                  | DTC at Guna                                | Construction stage       |
| 32.                                  | DTC at Mauganj                             | Construction stage       |
| 33.                                  | DTC at Maihar                              | Construction not started |
| 34.                                  | DTC at Sagar                               | Construction stage       |

| 35.               | DTC at Sagar                     | Newly sanctioned         |
|-------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------|
| 36.               | DTC at Shahdol                   | Construction stage       |
| 37.               | DTC at Jabalpur                  | Newly sanctioned         |
| 38.               | DTC at Shivpuri                  | Construction stage       |
| 39.               | DTC at Katni                     | Newly sanctioned         |
| 40.               | DTC at Morena                    | Newly sanctioned         |
| 41. Maharashtra   | DTC at Beed                      | Construction stage       |
| 42.               | DTC at Sangli                    | Construction stage       |
| 43.               | DTC at Washim                    | Newly Sanctioned         |
| 44. Nagaland      | DTC at Chumoukedima Construction | not started              |
| 45.               | DTC at Moukokchung               |                          |
| 46.               | DTC at Mon                       |                          |
| 47.               | DTC at Phek                      |                          |
| 48.               | DTC at Wokha                     |                          |
| 49.               | DTC at Zunhebota                 |                          |
| 51. Odisha        | DTC at Mayurbhanj                | Construction stage       |
| 52. Rajasthan     | DTC at Bharatpur                 | Construction not started |
| 53.               | DTC at Sri Ganganagar            |                          |
| 54.               | DTC at Churu                     |                          |
| 55. Telangana     | DTC at Ranga Reddy               | Construction not started |
| 56. Uttar Pradesh | DTC at Bulandshahr               | Construction stage       |
| 57.               | DTC at Prayagraj                 | Construction not started |
| 58.               | DTC at Gazipur                   | Construction stage       |
| 59.               | DTC at Firozabad                 | Construction stage       |
| 60.               | DTC at Ghaziabad                 | Construction not started |
| 61.               | DTC at Jaunpur                   | Construction stage       |
| 62.               | DTC at Mainpuri                  | Construction stage       |
| 63.               | DTC at Agra                      | Construction stage       |
| 64.               | DTC at Kannauj                   | Construction stage       |
| 65.               | DTC at Saharanpur                | Construction not started |
| 66.               | DTC at Shahjahanpur              | Construction stage       |
| 67.               | DTC at Budaun                    | Construction stage       |
| 68.               | DTC at Bhadohi                   | Newly sanctioned         |
| 69.               | DTC at Sonbhadra                 | Newly sanctioned         |
| 70.               | DTC at Kushinagar                | Construction not started |
| 71.               | DTC at Shamli                    | Construction stage       |
| 72.               | DTC at Gautam Buddha Nagar       | Construction not started |

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