Lucknow, Apr 1 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said it has initiated the process to set up nine model Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) to enhance road safety and provide advanced training to commercial drivers in the state.

Transport Commissioner Brajesh Narain Singh has requested district magistrates of nine districts -- Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Ballia, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Jhansi, Kanpur Nagar, Shahjahanpur and Prayagraj -- to allocate 10-15 acres of land for the project, the state government said in a statement.

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"The proposed IDTRs will be set up under a scheme funded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, which has directed proposals for these locations," the statement said.

While 30,37,166 commercial vehicles are registered in UP, there are only 27,48,523 licensed commercial drivers, it said, adding that the state faces a 20 per cent shortfall in trained drivers.

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The IDTR initiative aims to bridge this gap, enhance road safety, and generate employment opportunities, it said.

The transport commissioner has sent a letter to the district magistrates to confirm land availability. Thereafter, the proposals will be sent to MoRTH after the approval of the state government, the statement said.

MoRTH will provide final approval and financial assistance, it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)