India to ban self-driving cars to save jobs for human

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Authorities in India are reportedly considering a ban on driverless cars to protect jobs, local media have reported.

A fleet of Uber's Ford Fusion self driving cars. /Reuters Photo

"We won’t allow driverless cars in India. I am very clear on this," said Minister of Union Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in the Hindustan Times.

“We won’t allow any technology that takes away jobs," he said, adding that technology that does the job of people cannot be permitted in any country with unemployment.

Gadkari also pointed out that there is a great demand for commercial drivers in India and the government has planned to launch 100 training institutes nationwide for new drivers.

Nitin Gadkari, minister of union road transport and highways. /AFP Photo

The government would promote electric vehicles and all vehicles, either public or private, would be required to install GPS and satellite tracking, the minister said.

But automotive leader Abdul Majeed from Price Waterhouse & Co. argued that not all technologies render people jobless and that banning new technologies is not going to solve unemployment problems.

"You have to have the right balance. Technology has to coexist, " he said.