The 33rd provincial cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi, convened at the Civil Secretariat to address crucial matters.
The cabinet approved an increase in driving license fees effective from January 1. Until this date, driving licenses will continue to be issued at the existing rates.
Starting January 1, the learner fee will surge from Rs 60 to Rs 1000, alongside an increase in LTV, HTV, and PSV license fees. Residents of the US, Canada, and other countries can obtain a license online by paying $100.
During the meeting, the cabinet endorsed a transparent lottery system for allocating government land to landless farmers in Cholistan. A substantial 3,44,000 acres of land will be allocated to landless farmers 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 health department and a healthcare system for prisoners received approval.
Funds were greenlit to double the number of nursing students, and a management committee for the Institute of Public Health Lahore was established. The cabinet renewed the agreement between the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department and the RecepTayyipErdogan Health Trust for the operation of Regional Blood Centers in Multan and Bahawalpur.
Decisions were made to elevate 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 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.
