From I-Day, you can buy FASTagbased ₹3,000 annual toll pass for private cars

From I-Day, you can buy FASTagbased ₹3,000 annual toll pass for private cars 

VALID ONLY ON NHs & GOVT EXPRESSWAYS 

Dipak.Dash@timesofindia.com 

New Delhi : In a big relief to the middle class and private car owners who frequently use national highways and expressways, govt on Wednesday announced roll out of a FASTagbased annual toll pass from Aug 15 for ₹3,000. The pass will be activated on existing FASTag and will be valid for a year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips, whichever is first.

Announcing the decision, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said it is expected to bring relief to users of NHs and expressways under Centre. “This will substantially eliminate toll-related difficulties that people faced and complained about for a long time. Till now, for 200 such trips, car users were paying around ₹10,000 a year. 

With the new pass system, they will save around ₹7,000 a year,” he said in a video message. Gadkari said the pass will be valid only on NHs and Centre’s expressways, and not on tolled state highways and expressways such as Ganga Expressway and Mumbai-Pune Expressway. 

In a gazette notification amending the NH Fee Rules published on Wednesday, the road transport ministry said the amount for obtaining the pass may be “revised” in April every year. NHAI will start accepting applications for the annual passes from mid July. 

It said that owners of private vehicles having a valid and functional FASTag will be eligible to obtain the pass paying the fee and it will be “valid for one year or for 200 crossings (read trips) through any fee plaza on a NH, whichever is earlier, irrespective of the fee leviable at each fee plaza.” 

It added that in a closed user fee collection system such as Delhi-Mumbai, Bangalore-Mysuru and Lucknow-Kanpur expressways and other new greenfield highways, entry and exit of a vehicle at a fee plaza will be considered a single trip. Ministry officials said the much-awaited intervention is aimed to simplify toll payments and reduce congestion at plazas across the country. 

The ministry said the policy was designed to address longstanding concerns regarding toll plazas located within a 60km range and to provide a seamless travel experience for private vehicle owners. Sources said the decision to launch annual passes for private cars was taken based on a detailed study of the toll collection data. As per analysis, while private cars constitute about 60% of the traffic on NHs, the share of toll revenue from these vehicles is barely in the range of 20-26%. The move was initiated considering car users are vocal while major chunk — nearly 79% — comes from commercial vehicles

Private cars can get FASTag-based annual pass for Rs 3000

Private cars can get FASTag-based annual pass for Rs 3000 

18.06.2025

In a post on X, Gadkari said the pass is valid for one year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips, whichever comes first. The pass is designed exclusively for non-commercial private vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans. PTI Last Updated : 18 June 2025, 13:20 IST Follow Us :

A file photo of the toll booth near the airport in Bengaluru. Credit: DH photo New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the government will introduce a FASTag-based annual pass for private vehicles, priced at Rs 3,000, effective from August 15, in a step towards hassle-free highway travel.

Telangana to recruit 1,651 medical faculty: 26 govt colleges get NMC notice; CM seeks fix plan, deputed doctors recalled

Telangana to recruit 1,651 medical faculty: 26 govt colleges get NMC notice; CM seeks fix plan, deputed doctors recalled 

The health department in Hyderabad is set to recruit 1,323 assistant professors and 328 associate professors to address staff shortages. This decision follows show-cause notices issued by the National Medical Commission to 26 out of 34 medical colleges in the state.

TNN

Jun 18, 2025, 9:13 IST

Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy 

HYDERABAD: In order to fill the vacancies, the health department will be recruiting as many as 1,323 assistant professors and 328 associate professors, said the director of medical education (DME), A Narendra Kumar, on Tuesday. He added that an action plan is also being devised to address the deficiencies in medical colleges across the state, following 26 of the 34 medical colleges receiving a show-cause notice from the national medical commission (NMC). 

Following this, chief minister Revanth Reddy directed health department officials to prepare detailed plan to solve shortcomings. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the DME also issued orders to the principals of medical colleges, and allied hospitals to relieve doctors working on deputation . They were told to report to their place of posting .tnn

NEWS TODAY 16 AND 17.6.2025

 

Telangana medical colleges face severe cadaver shortage crisis

Telangana medical colleges face severe cadaver shortage crisis

Government medical colleges in Telangana are facing a critical shortage of cadavers, hampering anatomy education and surgical training. Despite guidelines and body donation rules, limited resources and legal concerns are affecting students' access to hands-on learning experiences.

By Telangana Today

Published Date - 16 June 2025, 01:31 PM

Hyderabad: Government medical colleges in Telangana are grappling with severe shortage of cadavers, a critical resource fundamental to learning anatomy and providing hands-on surgical training for future doctors. The scarcity of cadavers is severely affecting the quality of medical education, as practical dissection plays a key role in learning anatomy and physiology practically, senior doctors said.

Based on guidelines of National Medical Commission (NMC), there should ideally be one cadaver for at least 10 to 15 MBBS students. However, all the State-run tertiary medical colleges here collectively provide only two to three bodies for hundreds of students.

Senior government doctors said the solution for the difficulty in acquiring cadavers is to upgrade the facilities.

“Medical colleges must be upgraded by acquiring virtual cadaver tables like 3D Anatomage, mannequin stations, virtual reality anatomy and plastinated models. While 3D models can’t take the place of actual cadavers, but still due to present advancement in technology, they are alternatives,” says senior pediatrician and president of Telangana Government Doctors Association (TSDCA), Dr B Narahari.

Senior doctors also pointed out the need for awareness in voluntary body donations for academic purposes.

“There is a need to take-up awareness and donation drives, which could address these issues,” the senior doctor said.

The previous BRS government had framed Telangana Pathology and Anatomy Rules, 2022, which permits medical institutions to claim unclaimed bodies.

Based on these rules, the body of the deceased will be considered to be unclaimed, if the same is not claimed by relatives within a period of 12 hours of the death. Such a body can be claimed by a medical institution. “A body handed over to an approved institution may be claimed by a near relative of the deceased within a period of 96 hours of death,” the rules said.

Senior doctors, however, noted that significant challenges persist in implementing these rules, as there is always a probability of legal challenges if a relative of the deceased later comes forward and claims the body.