In a move aimed at enhancing the safety of drivers and passengers, Uber has partnered with Amazon Pay for installing plastic screens in 40,000 Uber Autos across seven cities in India; National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Friday said its daily toll collection through FASTag has reached about Rs 104 crore; Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed on increasing credit flow to businesses to meet the needs of a fast reflating economy. Watch this and more on News Blast.Also Read: Indian employees work longest, paid least globally with no leisure hours, claims ILO report

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Following the mandatory payment of user fee through FASTag at the toll plazas from February 16, 2021, toll collection through FASTag has seen consistent growth, it said

The rollout of 100 per cent cashless tolling has been positively received by highway users with a record sale of over 2.5 lakh tags in the last two days, NHAI said in a statement

FASTags must from today midnight:  All lanes on the fee plazas on national highways shall be classified as 'FASTag lane of the fee plaza' from today midnight

As per National Highways Fee Rules 2008, a double toll charge would be collected from the vehicles entering FASTag lanes without the tag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag

One can recharge FASTag account by making payment through cheque or online through Credit Card/ Debit Card/ NEFT/ RTGS or through Net Banking

In a release announcing the measure, NHAI said on Wednesday that the move is aimed at faster FASTag penetration, ensuring seamless traffic and cutting the delays at toll plazas

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According to ICRA, even if the farmers' protest end by February, there would still be a steep decline of 30-35 per cent in toll collection on national highways in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR region for FY21, as compared to 5-7 per cent drop for rest of India

A total of 52 toll plazas, including both public-funded and BOT (built, operate and transfer), on national highways (NHs) in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR have been directly or indirectly affected due to farmers protests

The increased revenue comes after the government announced mandatory rollout of FASTag from January 1, 2021, though it has allowed hybrid lanes on National Highways till February 15 to avoid inconvenience to people

The guidelines issued by the ministry regarding FASTags pertain to the process of toll-collection. All vehicles passing through a toll plaza need to have the FASTag affixed to their windshields

At hybrid lanes of the toll plazas on National Highways, payments in cash will also be accepted until February 15, 2021. All other lanes, including the current FASTag lanes, are to use the stickers to deduct the cash automatically

This new feature will help both highway user and toll operator to check tag balance status on real-time basis and eliminate the problem of dispute on tag balance

FASTag has been made mandatory for registration of new four-wheelers. Renewal of fitness certificate of a transport vehicle is done only after it has a FASTag

Enumerating FASTag's benefits, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari said, it is useful for the commuters as they will not need to stop at toll plazas for cash payments.

While discussing the 'National Infrastructure Pipeline critical for economic revival across sectors,' in Delhi at the ASSOCHAM Foundation Week Programme on Thursday, he explained the mechanism for toll collection in the future

Bharat Bandh will start tomorrow from 11 am to 3 pm. Members of farmers' unions will block national highways and occupy toll plazas, said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union