Microdots are a globally proven technology to ensure originality in spare parts of machines and components, including in the automobile sector.
The microdot technology involves spraying thousands of microscopic dots onto vehicles or other assets to form a unique identification.
Each microdot carries this identification which is registered to the owner, but is not visible to the naked eye.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a draft notification to make microdots mandatory in vehicles.The draft rules amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 and allow motor vehicles and their parts to be affixed with permanent and nearly invisible microdots that can be read physically with a microscope and identified with ultraviolet light.
Application:
The move is aimed at making India free from vehicle thefts and spurious spare parts.
- The government has envisaged that with microdots becoming a permanent feature in vehicles, identifying them would become easier in case they are stolen.
- Annually about 2.14 lakh vehicles are stolen across the country with Delhi topping the list at 38,644 in 2016, which translates to over 100 vehicles daily, followed by UP (34,480) and Maharashtra (22,435).
- The move will ensure that consumers have a way of identifying original parts from fake ones and that contributes to overall safety as well.