The Punjab Council of Ministers has formally approved free bus travel for all NEET candidates within Punjab on June 21, the date of the examination, as well as on the day before and the day after the exam.In addition, one attendant accompanying each candidate will also be allowed to travel free of cost to and from the examination centre. This means that a total of 56,000 people, including 28,000 aspirants, will benefit from free bus travel between June 20 and June 22.The decision was taken at a meeting of the Punjab Cabinet and was shared by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday evening.Announcing the decision, Punjab Transport and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the AAP government was trying to ease the distress and disappointment faced by NEET aspirants by providing this facility.“They have been left in the lurch as BJP continues to play with their future. Ever since BJP assumed power at the Centre, there have been 29 paper leaks, including the Vyapam scam. They are playing with the future of the youth, who are becoming increasingly frustrated. In their frustration, several young people have died by suicide,” he said.The Cabinet has also approved the filling of 156 posts of Junior Engineers in the Civil and Electrical Wings of Public Works Department.Additionally, the Council of Ministers has granted a five-year age relaxation to thousands of aspirants applying for 1,013 lecturer posts in School Education Department. These lecturers will be recruited across 12 subjects.With the monsoon season around the corner, the Cabinet has also approved the allotment of tenders for the desilting of rivers and seasonal rivulets even if only a single bidder applies for the work.“This is being done to expedite desilting work before the onset of the rains so that flooding can be prevented,” Cheema said.