The Punjab Government on Wednesday claimed to have become the first State in the country to provide on the spot driving licenses within half an hour after taking actual driving tests. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of country’s first automated driving test, online license and training centre in Naruana village.
“Punjab is all set to end red-tapism and delay in transport offices by initiating this unique system with all international parameters,” said Sukhbir while interacting with media persons after laying the foundation stone. He said that as many as 32 ultra-modern driving test and training centers were being set up in the state, where applicants could get driving licenses in minimum time without any interaction with district transport offices.
“Punjab has set an example before country to provide on-the-spot driving licences through driving tests on international standards driving test tracks. These centers would have serpentine and gradient test track for two and four wheelers,” he said. Sukhbir said that these centers will have ultra-modern gadgets including CCTV cameras, motion sensors and web-casting facility.
“Fingerprint scanning and biometric of applicant could be crosschecked before start of test at the centre,” he said. Such automated centers would be established at Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Fazilka, Batala (Gurdaspur), Hoshiarpur, Jagraon (ludhiana), Khanna (ludhiana), ludhiana-I and ludhiana-II, Mansa, Nawanshahr, Pathankot, Patiala, Malerkotla (Sangrur), Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Dasuya (Hoshiarpur), Phillaur (Jalandhar), Mohali, Muktsar, Moga, Phagwara (Kapurthala), Rupnagar, Kapurthala, Patran (Patiala), Sangrur and Abohar (Fazilka).
Giving details of governance reforms to take place in coming months, he said that Punjab is all set to launch ‘Sewa Kendras’ in July-August under Government to citizen (G2C) services, where more than 200 citizen services to be provided to rural as well as urban population. He said that by the end of December, Government to Government (G2G) services of all departments will be provided online and people could avail required services on a single click by sitting at their homes.
Hailing the announcement of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to facilitate farmers with a pension of Rs5000 per month after the age of 60 as “a landmark decision”, Sukhbir said that such benefits will boost the morale of our farmers as the peasantry were facing severe crisis. Regarding setting up of any corpus fund for fresh survey to get actual numbers of debt-ridden farmers committed suicide in the state, Sukhbir termed it as “a national issue”.
“Center could play a vital role on this issue…We will take up the issue with Union Home Minister to chalk out a comprehensive plan in this regard as the Center fixes input prices and minimum support prices of crops,” he said.