Day: June 7, 2021

KARACHI:  Khushhali Microfinance Bank (KMBL) on Monday announced that it is joining the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Raast Instant Digital Payment System. Under this collaboration, Khushhali Microfinance Bank will enable end-to-end digital transactions for government payments.

 

A bank statement said: “This is another step towards the digitalization of the bank’s financial structure. Raast is an instant payment mechanism that permits end-to-end digital payments among general public, businesses, and government entities. Under this partnership, Khushhali Microfinance Bank can process bulk government payments instantly, including salaries and pensions, dividend disbursements, mutual fund payments, Business-to-Business (B2B) batch payments, and pay-roll payments for private entities. Khushhali Microfinance Bank will receive bulk payments from various institutions, to be disbursed to recipients via Raast’s digital platform.”

 

Commenting on the momentous occasion, Khushhali Microfinance Bank CEO Ghalib Nishtar said, “We are proud to have taken this digital leap. This collaboration with Raast would mean real-time digital payments for Khushhali Microfinance Bank, increased interoperability, seamless connectivity between KMBL and other businesses, cutting-edge technology implementation, low transaction costs, and increased financial security and reliability. In line with the government’s Digital Pakistan vision, we intend to bring the optimal digital transaction experience for governmental entities contributing to the overall financial inclusion to the country.”

 

“Khushhali Microfinance Bank, with its two-decade history of serving the underprivileged segment of society through microfinance, has been central in financial inclusion in Pakistan. A forerunner in the microfinance sector, it has financially empowered individuals from both urban and rural communities. Keeping in line with its legacy, Khushhali Microfinance Bank aims to further strengthen its approach towards innovation and digitalization in the overall financial infrastructure.”

KARACHI:  Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has said that Karachi is the commercial hub of the country and have multiple opportunities for investment in various sectors. He was talking to the newly appointed Indonesian Consul General to Karachi, Dr. June Kuncoro Hadiningrat, who called on him at Governor House today.

 

He further said that investment in the city had increased after improvement in overall law and order situation in Karachi. He also invited the Indonesian investors in different fields and assured to provide every possible assistance to them. Ismail said that the relations between the two countries were strengthening with the passage of time and the Indonesian diplomats had been playing an important role in this regard. He hoped that the bilateral relations would further strengthen.

 

Hadiningrat said that he would play his due role in promoting the bilateral relations for enhancing the volume of investment and trade between the two countries. Importance of Karachi city in international economic activities and other issues of mutual interests were also came under discussion during the meeting. The two sides agreed on further strengthening bilateral relations, deepening mutually beneficial trade and economic ties, and expanding cultural activities.

KARACHI:  Barrister Murtaza Wahab, the Spokesperson for Sindh Government and Advisor to CM Sind on Law, Environment, Climate Change, and Coastal Development, has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is bound to abide by the constitution under which he has taken an oath and it emphasizes equitable distribution of resources among all the provinces.

 

“Sindh is the highest revenue earner but is constantly being ignored by the PTI government,” he said while addressing a news conference in Sindh Assembly Committee Room, according to a handout issued today. Wahab said that the federal government had spent its funds on motorways in Punjab. The federal government had built motorways in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but for motorways in Sindh, it does not provide funds. Strangely enough from the schemes of the Ministry of Communications, 22 schemes were allocated for Punjab, 21 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and only six schemes were given to Sindh. Is this a fair distribution under the constitution? Sindh pays 70% of revenue.

 

Sindh gave Rs 6 billion since 2017 to the federal government. Despite taking this amount, it did not spend its share for Indus Highway. Sindh, which gives 70% revenue, is given only 2 schemes in the Federal Ministry of Finance and 18 schemes in Punjab. For Punjab’s roads, the federation has given 35,600 million schemes. The federation is providing funds for the construction of bridges in Punjab. In Sindh, the federation has given UC-level drainage schemes.

 

Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that on TV appearance Asad Umar had declared everything wrong but when he was asked for details, he said that there were no details. Surprisingly, the Minister for Planning and Development did not have the details. The Sindh Government had given only seventeen schemes. Being an economic hub, Karachi should have developed but Karachi is where it has been since along. Murtaza Wahab said that if you compare Lahore with Sukkur, it is clear that motorways are being built in Lahore but why Karachi-Sukkur Motorway is not being built. He said that it was surprising that why it is urged to building public-private partnership roads in Sindh, building highways is the responsibility of the federation.

 

Murtaza Wahab further said that the people of Sindh are the most moderate. We recognize the right of every person to protest. Violence cannot be tolerated. That is why the Sindh government gave the protesters the right to protest peacefully. Everyone has the right to disagree. No one’s personal property can be allowed to be damaged. That is why the police took action and people were arrested because the state has to look after things. Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the use of the Lyari Expressway is necessary to solve the traffic problems of Karachi. In addition, compared to the development work of the Sindh Government, our performance is better of course one should ask questions, he remarked, but one should talk with documentary evidence.

 

He lamented that no serious steps had been taken to link Karachi port with the rest of the country. The federation has not given its share so far and the fact that the captain did not take any action against the railway minister over the train accidents is true. One is the Pakistan of PTI and its allies, the other Pakistan in Sindh province. The people of Sindh have repeatedly rejected PTI. The people of Sindh have rejected PTI for not having pain for them. Sindh recorded its written protest against the federal government’s PSDP and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah pointed out the unfair distribution in the federal PSDP.

 

PTI has proved through its work that it has no interest in Sindh. Communication at different levels of the government is carried out in writing. When we received the details of the PSDP, we presented our protest in writing. The Sindh Chief Minister wrote a letter on June 5 informing the Prime Minister.

 

He noted that in 2018, PTI, MQM, and GDA were rejected by the people of Sindh. The people also defeated them in NA-249. These are the three so-called representative opposition parties. Wahab referring to the opposition parties of Sindh said that how many times they had walked out of the National Assembly and Senate on gas and water issues. Aminul Haq, Ali Zaidi, and Fehmida Mirza are all from Sindh. How many times have they spoken in the committee? They are not with us because of their hatred with PPP. Wahab said that by allocating Rs10 billion for Sindh in the current financial year, they spent only Rs50 crore and the federal government just paid lip service to Karachi and reduced the expenditures on it to zero.

 

KARACHI:  Covid-19 Vaccination Centre has been set up at the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) in collaboration with Sindh Health Department, which would provide free-of-charge vaccination to the teaching and non-teaching staff and students of SSUET.

 

Appreciating the support of Sindh Government, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Vali Uddin said that the teachers, administrative staff and students of the university would receive free vaccination at the centre, and it promotes the message that everyone should get vaccinated against Covid-19, shedding the wrong concepts to the wind.

 

Registrar Syed Sarfraz Ali said that the SSUET vaccination centre would support the cause to prevent the spread of Covid-19. He thanked the provincial government for establishing a vaccination centre at the varsity through which the faculty and administrative staff of the university as well as hundreds of students from different parts of the country would be able to get free vaccination. All Deans, Associate Dean, Directors, HODs and Faculties of the university appreciated the management for establishing the centre.

ISLAMABAD:  The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations marked World Food Safety Day in a joint virtual event held with Ministry of National Food Security and Research. The webinar was attended by representatives from Ministry of National Food Security and Research, UN agencies, food safety experts, academia and private sector.

 

The webinar was organized to bring together national and provincial institutions to share their expertise and discuss how food safety can be improved in country, building a good food safety system, which will not only improve health of people but also impact increasing food and agricultural products exports and achieve high place in the global market. If food safety requirements in Pakistan meet global standards, there is a great potential for food business operators from Pakistan to be major players in the entire world.

 

Safe food contributes to a healthy life, a healthy economy, a healthy planet and a healthy future. Recognizing the systemic connections between the health of people, animals, plants, the environment, and the economy will help us meet the needs of the future. Local actions based on equitable, often novel solutions and strengthened multi-sectoral collaboration are essential to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over the last few decades, the question of ensuring adequate food safety standards has evolved into a much more complicated problem with a series of interconnected factors to be considered.

 

The evolution of science and technology such as the development of high precision analytical equipment and improved agricultural and preservation techniques have made it possible to obviate the manifold safety hazards. Our food systems need to produce enough safe food for all. There is no food security without food safety. If it is not safe, it is not food. Only when food is safe will it meet dietary needs and help ensure that everyone can live an active and healthy life. This is also referred to as the utilization dimension of food security.

 

Speaking at the event, FAO Representative a.i in Pakistan, Rebekah Bell stated that “It’s a unique opportunity for us to work together to improve food safety. She said we need to ensure food safety throughout the agriculture value chain from farm to fork level. We are currently relying on fresh produce, but by improving food storage and processing capacity ensuring principles of food safety, Pakistan has a lot of potential to increase food exports and generating income for the farmers and revenue for the country”, she said.

 

Additional Secretary of Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Syed Anwar ul Haq emphasized on building a better food system which will not only improve health of people but also impact increasing food and agricultural products exports and achieve high place in the global market. If food safety requirements in Pakistan meet global standards, there is a great potential for food business operators from Pakistan to be major players in the entire world, he added.

 

Shandana Gulzar, Chairperson of National Committee on Food Security and Agriculture highlighted the efforts of the National Assembly on food safety. The food safety agenda is at the forefront of present government and provinces will be taken on board for harmonizing the national food safety system and food safety standards, she added. She mentioned various initiative like Kamyab Kissan, strengthening the food value chains and generating livelihood opportunities for women ensuring the food safety at all levels.

 

KARACHI:  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with forestry, livestock and agriculture departments, planted 2000 trees and raised awareness in its farmer field schools in different districts of Sindh to mark the World Environment Day under this year’s global theme of Ecosystem Restoration.

 

FAO in Sindh implements multiple projects in around 15 districts of Sindh, where its teams through farmer field schools, awareness raising walks and tree plantation ceremonies were organized to inform the masses about the importance of ecosystem, biodiversity and impacts of climate change.

 

Plantation drives and awareness sessions were aimed to sensitize the farmers, line departments, stakeholders and masses on the importance of ecosystem restoration and how restoring ecosystem would help fight the climate change to save lives and properties.

KARACHI:  Jeay Sindh Qaumi Muhaz (JSQM) on Monday held protest demonstrations across Sindh against the arrest of its Chairman Sanan Khan Qureshi.

 

A large number of people across Sindh took to the streets on the call of JSQM against the arrest of Qureshi. The protest demonstrations and rallies were held in Nawabshah, Qazi Ahmed, Larkana, Ratodero, Moro, Miro Khan, Sann, Tando Muhammad Khan and other areas of the province. While, National Highway was blocked in Sakrand due to which heavy traffic jammed.

 

The protesters demanded immediate release of the JSQM Chairman. The JSQM central leadership has also called for a shutter down strike across Sindh. However, Sindh United Party leader Sayed Jalal Mehmood Shah, Sindh Taraqi Pasand Pary Chairman Dr Qadir Magsi, Jeay Sindh Maaz Chairman Riaz Chandio, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Muhaz Arisar group Chairman Aslam Khairpuri, Jeay Sindh Student Federation leader Sarman Brohi and Sindh Students’ Council Chairman Ali Saqlain has condemned the arrest of JSQM Chairman and demanded his immediate release.

 

The JSQM Chairman was arrested by law enforcement agencies last night from his house in Gulshan-e-Hadeed Karachi. It may be noted that First Information Reports (FIRs) were lodged against all nationalist leadership after a sit-in outside Bahria Town Karachi on Sunday. The protest was attended by hundreds of people from across Sindh which turned into violence as Bahria Town’s entrance gate, shops, showrooms, and market was set ablaze by unknown angry men.