If you have driven on a highway in India recently, then you’ve likely experienced the dramatic difference RAIN technology has made. Just a few years ago, long queues at toll plazas were the norm. Today, thanks to RAIN-enabled FASTag stickers on windshields, more than 97% of toll payments are now digital, saving drivers countless hours and cutting fuel waste — while also boosting government revenues through greater transparency.
The impact of RAIN technology is tangible. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways estimates toll collection yielded ₹8,000 crore (≈$950 million) in gains. What once felt like a daily frustration has become one of the country’s most visible examples of how technology, backed by policy, can simplify life and deliver results at national scale.
And FASTag is only the beginning. Across India, RAIN technology is reshaping how goods, vehicles, containers, and even medicines move through the economy. Globally, the scale of RAIN technology is surging. In 2024 alone, 52.8 billion RAIN tag chips were shipped worldwide — a 54% increase compared to just two years prior. This reflects growing mandates and use cases across sectors like healthcare, logistics, electronics, and sustainability. For India, it highlights the scale of opportunity as the country looks to expand RAIN beyond tolling into new areas of impact.
Building RAIN Momentum in India
India’s RAIN story isn’t just about smoother drives on highways. It’s about an ecosystem coming together — local innovators, global companies, and government leaders — to scale RAIN technology in ways that strengthen India’s future, contribute to global economic progress and elevate India’s national status.
One sign of this momentum is the surge in Indian participation in the RAIN Alliance. More than ten India-based companies are now members, joining forces with multinationals that have deep operations in the country. No story captures this better than , one of India’s pioneering players. On 14 September 2025, i-TEK celebrated its 25th anniversary at its Pune headquarters. The event brought together leaders from government, industry, and academia — including Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, and General Manoj Pande, Former Chief of Army Staff.
Minister Gadkari underscored just how transformative RAIN has been:
“The introduction of RAIN and FASTag has been truly transformative. What was once a frustrating experience of long queues and inefficiency at toll plazas has now become seamless, saving citizens time, money, and fuel while also boosting government revenue through transparency. i-TEK and its founder, Ashim Patil, have played a pioneering role in making this possible.”
Beyond tolling, i-TEK’s innovations extend into container tracking and anti-counterfeiting solutions — critical for India’s growing export markets and consumer safety. Their journey illustrates how homegrown expertise, working in tandem with government policy, is central to scaling RAIN nationally.
What’s Next for India and RAIN Technology
FASTag proved that when India commits to scaling a technology, adoption can be swift and transformative. The question now is: where will RAIN make its next big impact?
Globally, government policy has often been the spark for adoption. In the European Union, new Digital Product Passport rules require detailed product-level traceability across sectors like textiles, electronics, and batteries — pushing companies to adopt technologies like RAIN to remain compliant. In the United States, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act mandates item-level tracking of medicines to protect patients from counterfeits. And across Australia, New Zealand, and the EU, livestock identification with RAIN has become the foundation of modern food safety and export programs.
These examples underline a consistent truth: around the world, policy ignites adoption. For India, the opportunity is to pair its technological capability with similar forward-looking policy, unlocking the next chapter of growth.
As one of the world’s largest exporters of food, textiles, and pharmaceuticals, India stands to benefit immensely from applying RAIN beyond tolling and logistics. Imagine food exports with guaranteed traceability from farm to port. Textiles present an equally powerful opportunity: India produces a huge share of the world’s garments and fabrics, and tagging items at source in factories could give brands and retailers end-to-end visibility from production to store shelves. The same principle applies to medicines tagged at the point of manufacture to build trust with global regulators and patients alike.
Closer to home, India’s Smart Cities Mission is another opportunity. Cities from Singapore to Helsinki already use RAIN technology to manage public transport fleets, reduce waste, and improve infrastructure monitoring. India’s own urban programs could adopt similar approaches — creating not just efficiency, but also cleaner, safer, more sustainable environments for millions of citizens.
The lesson from FASTag is clear: when India backs technology innovation with policy, the benefits multiply across society. The next wave of adoption is likely to follow the same path — inspired by international precedents but scaled in India’s own way.
Looking Ahead
The journey is still just beginning. With strong policy support, entrepreneurial drive, and massive market potential, India is poised to lead in the global expansion of RAIN.
From FASTag to container exports, from anti-counterfeiting to smart cities, the use cases are multiplying. And with Indian innovators like i-TEK at the forefront — alongside the global collaboration fostered by the RAIN Alliance — the country is not only adopting technology, it’s helping shape how the world uses it.
As Minister Gadkari noted, what was once a source of daily frustration — the long wait at a tollbooth — has become a case study in how policy and technology can work together. As India sets its sights on smarter, more sustainable systems, it will be this partnership between innovation and policy that unlocks the future.