The government on Wednesday issued a notification amending the Central Motor Vehicle Rules making it mandatory for vehicle manufacturers to provide High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) in all new vehicles from April, 2019.

HSRP are a new standard in license plates providing added layers of security. They were introduced in 2005 and made mandatory in 2012, although the implementation has been patchy — largely because the onus was either on dealers or customers to source them (from authorized vendors). The move to make the manufacturers responsible could address this problem — at least for new vehicles. The notification says dealers can also provide HSRP for older vehicles, if state governments grant permission.