LAHORE  -  Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, chairing the 33th provincial cabinet meeting at the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday, addressed crucial matters. The cabinet approved an increase in driving licence fees effective from January 1. 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 1000, alongside an increase in LTV, HTV, and PSV licence fees. Residents of the US, Canada, and other countries can 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. 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 the health depart­ment and a healthcare system for prisoners was also approved.

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 Recep Tayyip Erdogan 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.

The cabinet approved the revision of shooting licences and fees under Punjab Wildlife Rules 1974 and gave the green light to establishing a Potho­har campus of the University of Punjab in Gujjar 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, advisers, chief secretary, inspector gen­eral of police, advocate general of Punjab, senior officials, and secretaries concerned.