Uber hopes to source "credible" drivers by linking with Indian government backed portal
Uber has turned to a government portal to source credible drivers to expand operations in India in the hopes of avoiding further scandal like the Delhi rape case last year. The company is looking to partner with drivers registered on the national career service (NCS) portal, which is expected to have a pool of job-seekers, verified and authenticated by the government. A senior labour ministry official said that Uber executives are in talks with the government to explore the possibility of recruiting drivers through the recently launched portal.

New Delhi: Wary of constant scrutiny by authorities after the alleged rape of a woman passenger by a driver registered with the company in Delhi last year, app-based taxi-hailing service Uber has turned to a government portal to source credible drivers to expand operations in India.The US-based company is looking to partner with drivers registered on the national career service (NCS) portal, which is expected to have a pool of job-seekers, verified and authenticated by the government. A senior labour ministry official told ET that Uber executives are in talks with the government to explore the possibility of roping in drivers through the recently launched portal."Since the ministry will verify the authenticity of all job seekers, including drivers, registering on its portal through Aadhaar , they will be more credible than any other random hiring and in case of an untoward incident in future, the onus will lie on the government to a large extent," the official said, requesting not to be identified as the matter is still under discussion.Uber confirmed to ET that it is in talks with the ministry. "Uber is exploring areas of collaboration with the labour ministry with the goal to provide easy access to economic opportunities for drivers, individuals and budding entrepreneurs who may live in remote areas of the country," a Uber spokesperson said in an email response.The NCS portal was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. It has a database of more than two crore job seekers and over nine lakh establishments looking for candidates. The job seekers registering on the website have to undergo strict verification of their academic qualification and identity online, thus doing away with the need to physically visit employment exchanges.According to Uber, this collaboration will foster the creation of digital records of drivers in the country, enabling the industry and government to make more informed decisions about ideal geographies to launch skill programmes. "Individuals who register on the NCS platform are also required to input their verified Aadhaar identification and this collaboration will further strengthen Uber's commitment to safety," the spokesperson added. After the woman passenger alleged that she was raped by the driver of a cab hired through the Uber app, the company had to face a ban on its services in several cities in India.