Why is IND Written on Indian Vehicle Number Plates?

The word “IND” on vehicle name plates is an acronym of India. The term IND i.e., Ind number plate is an essential component of a series of characteristics of the High Security Plates that were introduced as a part of the 2005 amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles, 1989. This High Security Number ‘IND’ is generally found at RTO’S registered number plate. The chromium-plated hologram is attached above if carried out by process or law, and can’t be removed. The answer to the question of why Ind is written on vehicle number plates is protection. The new number plates are sealed and are protected by a non-removable snap lock. It is quite tedious to copy the snap-lock by the street sellers. This plate provides complete security to the owner of the vehicle against robbery or misuse by terrorists. 

What is IND Number Plate Logo Format

The format of IND Number Plate logo or high-security number plate is mentioned below:

• The first 2 letters in ind no plate represent the state/union territories. For example, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, a vehicle number plate starts with the code ‘UP”, in Madhya Pradesh with ``MP”, Maharashtra with “ MH” and in Delhi as ‘DL’. This method of representing the state/union territories with two letters began in 1980.

• The next two digits in the vehicle registration number plate state the district’s sequential number. Each district in a state has its own sequential number. For this purpose, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) is set up by the government in every district in the country. The RTO in the respective district is responsible for registering the motor vehicle.

• The third part of the Ind number contains four different numbers and are different for each vehicle. This makes the number plate unique. If there are no unique numbers left to assign then in such cases. alphabets can be used to replace the last digit.  Applicants pay a considerable amount to get custom made vehicle number plates.

• There is an oval symbol in the Ind number plate logo, in which letters ‘IND’ are written to signify that the vehicle has been registered in India. The oval symbol in HSRP consists of a chromium made hologram on the top of it which features chakra. Although the hologram made up of chromium is the utmost for high security vehicles, it has still not been implemented in some states.

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 IND Number Plate

What is a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP)?

An aluminium made HSRP, abbreviation of High Security Registration Plate, is attached to the vehicles using two non reusable locks. The HSRP accompanies with a hot-imprinted chromium based hologram of Ashok Chakra on the top left corner along with the IND written. A 10 digit Permanent Identification Number is laser imprinted on the reflective sheet found at the bottom left of the registration plate.

What are the Benefits of High Security Reservation Plates?

The old ind number plates or high security number plates were easy to bribe and can be changed quickly. The first attempt is made by a thief after stealing a vehicle to replace the registration plate which makes it difficult for the police and other authorities to track the vehicles that are stolen. But High Security Number Plates or IND Number plates come with non-removable snap-on locks and are difficult to replace by thieves.

High Security Number Plates are generally fastened by dealers and private vendors approved by the governmental authorities. These high security number plates are issued only after the owner of the vehicle provides certain information like engine number, chassi number, also known as car identification number, etc. This is the most important step in preventing theft of high security engine plates.

Another important benefit of high security reservation plates is that the important details of a car like chassis number, engine number are saved in a centralised database.  These details, along with the 10 digit PIN help the government authorities to identify the stolen vehicle. Some vehicle owners choose different fonts and styles for the registration plates, which makes it difficult for the traffic police to understand the registration number of a vehicle. To avoid this, HSRPs have a standard pattern of displaying vehicle registration numbers. 

Why Different Colour Number Plates are Assigned to Indian Vehicles?

As you must have seen different colour vehicle plates like white, yellow, black, red, etc in cars or vehicles that travel on the road in your daily life. Just by looking at different colour vehicle registration number plates, can you identify which colour number plates belong to which officers/ authorities. If not, then the below points will help you in this regard.

Black Plate With Yellow Characters

Self-driven rental vehicles usually come with black plates with yellow characters on them. These plates are generally seen on vehicles that can be used for commercial purposes without a commercial driving permit. The best example of these types of vehicles are Zoom cars.

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Yellow Colour Plates With Black Characters

Yellow colour plates with black characters are generally issued to commercial vehicles. The vehicle used for transporting goods or ferrying passengers falls in this category.  Ola and Uber cabs belong to this category.

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White Colour Plates With Black Characters

White colour plates with black characters are commonly found on Indian number plates. Private or non-commercial cars are generally found in this category and cannot be used for commercial purposes like ferrying passengers, transporting goods, etc.

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Green Colour Plates With White Characters

The green colour plates with white characters are rarely found on the road. Electric Vehicles such as road-legal electric busses and other electric commercial vehicles, like Mahindra e20, Tata Tigor Electric fall under this category.

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Blue Colour Plate With White Characters

The blue colour plates with white characters are found on the vehicles used by or for foreign diplomats. These plates represent the diplomat’s country code rather than state code. 

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Indian Number Plate With an Upward Pointing Row

The number plates with an upward-pointing row are found on the military vehicles registered with the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi. The upward-pointing rows on these plates are usually seen after the first or second characters, which is known as Broad Arrow. The digits after the arrow represent the year in which the vehicle was purchased. The next comes a base code, accompanied by the serial number. The letter after the serial number represents the class of the vehicle.

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Red Number Plate With White Letters

A red number plate with white letters imprinted on the vehicle registration number plate is issued to a brand new vehicle as a temporary registration until permanent registration is issued by the RTO. Temporary registration assigned to the vehicles is valid for 1 month only. However, all Indian states do not permit temporarily registered vehicles to drive on roads.

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