LAHORE, Dec 31: The National Database and Registration Authority will start free-of-charge birth registration in all the 150 union councils from February under a one-year pilot project.

Union council secretaries will be given a two-week special training from January 15 for registration. Computerized birth certificates will be issued after the birth registration.

The City District Government will provide necessary facilities for setting up centres for issuance of computerized identity cards to the parents of the newborns in case they do not possess cards.

Arrangements for launching the pilot project were discussed at a meeting held here on Wednesday with district Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood in the chair. Punjab Nadra director general Brig Tariq Moeen, DCO Khalid Sultan and Aziz Bhatti Town Nazim Chaudhry Ashraf attended the meeting.

Brig Moeen said Pakistan would have the world's biggest database on completion of registration. All the government departments would have access to the data through internet.