Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said that the number of driving licences issued is greater than the number of registered motor vehicles in the country.
"At present, the number of motor vehicles registered in the country stands at 57,52,197 while the number of driving licences issued is 59,46,523,” said Quader in reply to a question from ruling party MP Abdul Latif in parliament on Monday.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury presided over the session during which the question-answer session was tabled.
The bridges minister said: "It is not accurate to claim that the number of unskilled and unlicensed drivers in the country is 2.4 million."
In an effort to reduce the number of road accidents, drivers are receiving training from BRTA, Quader said.
"Driver training is mandatory at the time of renewal of driving licences for professional drivers. From 2008 to July 2023, a total of 815,142 professional drivers have been provided with road safety, traffic law, and awareness training across the country," he said.
Obaidul Quader also mentioned various initiatives and activities that have been launched to train new drivers.
"A program has been initiated to train 100,000 drivers over the next five years through the Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP) project, under the Ministry of Finance," Quader added.