Punjab cabinet increases fee for driving licence

LAHORE: The caretaker Punjab cabinet increased the fee for driving licences on Tuesday.

The decision was made in the 33rd provincial cabinet meeting chaired by caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The cabinet approved an increase in driving licence fees from January 1, 2024. Until this date, driving licences will continue to be issued at the existing rates. Starting January 1, the learner fee will surge from Rs 60 to Rs 1,000, alongside an increase in LTV, HTV, and PSV licence fees while residents of the US, Canada, and other countries will obtain a licence online by paying $100.

During the meeting, the cabinet endorsed a transparent lottery system for allocating government land to landless farmers in Cholistan for which a substantial 3,44,000 acres of land was allocated to be given at subsidized rates. Additionally, the cabinet approved the transfer policy for MBBS and BDS students in government medical and dental colleges, allowing transfers only from high-grade merit to low-grade institutions. The management of prison hospitals will be entrusted to the Health Department and a healthcare system for prisoners was also submitted for final approval.

Funds were green-lit to double the number of nursing students and a management committee for the Institute of Public Health Lahore was established.

The cabinet renewed an agreement between the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department and the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Health Trust for the operation of Regional Blood Centres in Multan and Bahawalpur. Decisions were made to elevate the Children's Hospital Faisalabad to the status of a medical institute under the Punjab Medical and Health Institutions Act 2003. The establishment of PKLI-2 for South Punjab in the Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases was also confirmed.

Furthermore, the cabinet endorsed policy frameworks for the selection of vice-chancellors at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Lahore and Bahawalpur, along with the appointment of prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor Department to the FIA on a deputation basis. Under the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985, Jinnah Garden was granted special status, and its administrative affairs were entrusted to the Walled City Authority. The historic Umar Mahal of Chiniot was also placed under the management of the Walled City Authority.

The cabinet approved revision of shooting licences and fees under the Punjab Wildlife Rules 1974 and gave the green light to establishing a Pothohar campus of the University of Punjab in Gujar Khan. Additionally, an agreement with the National Highways and Motorway Police for the exchange of motor vehicle registration information was endorsed. The decisions of the 10th and 11th meetings of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Legal Affairs and Privatization were confirmed.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisors, chief secretary, inspector general of police, advocate general of Punjab, senior officials and secretaries.