In order to standardize and secure the data of the transport department (MoRTH), the Government of India is deploying smart card technology for Indian driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates (for both commercial and private vehicles).

Smart cards are secured electronic devices that are used for storing data and other information in a way that allows only authorized users to see or write data.

A technical subcommittee was set up to draw up operating system specifications for the smart card-based Indian driving licenses (DL) and vehicle registration certificates (RC) in June 2001. The SCOSTA specifications were defined by this committee. The SCOSTA specification is largely compliant with the international ISO 7816 standard (parts 4 to 9) for smart cards.

The specifications drawn up for the operating system, key management system, application and card layout and ISO definitions are mandatory and form an integral part of SCOSTA and DL/RC applications. In addition, the cards for use with these applications must comply with the ISO 7816 standard (parts 1 to 3) that detail the electrical, physical, and communication aspects for smart cards.

SCOSTA can be implemented on any microprocessor-based smart card. All specifications are open. The SCOSTA project was initiated with the following principal objectives.

• Standardization of Information
  The card layout, data fields and other relevant information stored on the card and the back end have been standardized to ensure that information on all cards (issued wherever in India) is uniform and can be read and written all over India.
• Interoperability
  Since the Indian driving license and vehicle registration certificate are to be deployed nationwide, it is essential for the standards to be interoperable, so SCOSTA specifications deal fully with this aspect. All non-interoperable features are discouraged and are therefore non-compliant and do not form part of the SCOSTA specifications.
• Multi-Vendor Support / Non-Proprietary
  Keeping in view the need for future upgrading, multi-vendor support and the critical requirement of the specifications and product to be non-proprietary, it is essential to have the operating system specification be open and standard.

• Data Security and Integrity
  A microprocessor-based smart card can ensure that only authorized persons can read or write the application data stored on the card. SCOSTA supports both password-based and key-based authentication of users. The DL and RC application specifications both include secure key management systems that ensure that only officials authorized to change the card data can do so and that it is not possible to create forged DL and RC cards.
• Engine for Mass ID System (eMIS)
  eMIS is a comprehensive in-house system developed for large ID projects. It provides a mechanism to manage each phase of the ID lifecycle. eMIS is a software engine for managing the records of millions of individuals who are enrolled, registered, authorized and provided with secure identification such as smart cards. eMIS has a modular structure and an open architecture. It can be deployed for various combinations of front ends, card types, personalization equipment, field terminals, LAN/WAN configurations, RDBMS, operating systems and servers. It has been deployed across diverse platforms and thus provides effective interoperability among different elements, giving customers the flexibility and choice to address complex operational and business issues.
• Smart Prepaid Fuel Cards
  These were issued by Singh motors in Delhi to help customers keep a check on the fuel filled by their drivers and also introduce to regular customers various schemes and loyalty programs.