ISLAMABAD
Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi called on Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf
ISLAMABAD
Shafqat Abbas Joint Secretary, Ministry of I&B presenting a bouquet to newly appointed Federal Secretary Information & Broadcasting Ms. Shahera Shahid upon her taking over charge of the office of the Secretary
ISLAMABAD
Elevating dreams, defining success Zindigi Prize National Finals 2023
ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): The Pak China Friendship Center recently witnessed the grand finale of the Zindigi Prize, Pakistan’s premier entrepreneurship program that brought to life by Zindigi and supported by JS Bank, concluded its latest edition with a spectacular ceremony.
Kangaroo Care from NED University clinched the title of 2023 champion, with Ootien from Fatimah Jinnah University and MUSJ from the University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar securing the first and second runner-up positions, respectively.
The Zindigi Prize, encompassing over 130 universities and more than 4,000 startups, is dedicated to empowering the youth. It provides a platform for them to create innovative technological solutions that tackle societal challenges. A unique aspect of the program is its comprehensive 360-degree mentorship module, designed to refine and elevate all aspects of the participating teams’ business ideas through specialized training and workshops.
JS Bank’s President & CEO – Basir Shamsie, Chief Operating Officer – Imran Haleem Shaikh, Group Head Retail Banking – Atif Saleem Malik, Chief Officer Zindigi – Noman Azhar , and Zubina Asad – Head of HR were present at the ceremony and participated in various activities at Zindigi’s unique experience center, creating an unparalleled experience.
Noman Azhar, Chief Officer Zindigi stated, “I am extremely happy to see the engagement and ownership of students with Zindigi Prize today. We’ve successfully fostered an entrepreneurial mindset and bridged the gap between academic institutions and the industry. Zindigi and JS group will continue to spearhead united efforts to uplift Pakistan. As a homegrown brand, we are all about empowering Pakistan.”
Ibtisam Babar, Project Lead of Zindigi Prize, stated that the platform has already emerged as the largest entrepreneurial hub for students. He said, “We envision Zindigi Prize as the leading innovation community to address societal issues. Zindigi Prize will extend its reach across international borders, empowering our startups to pitch on global platforms. It will serve as a convergence point for international startups, collectively showcasing their immense potential. Together, we will shape the future of innovation.”
The success of this program is a testament to Zindigi’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and and fostering positive change in Pakistan. Zindigi, powered by JS Bank, is not just redefining the banking sector but is also investing heavily in entrepreneurial ventures, education for girls, and fostering dynamic collaborations between the private and public sectors. This approach underlines dedication to uplifting people across every facet of life across Pakistan.
Huawei 2023 Sustainability Forum “Thrive together with Tech” Realizing Sustainable Development
ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): In a world increasingly reliant on digital connectivity, Huawei continues to spearhead efforts to bridge the digital divide through its commitment to the ITU’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition. The tech giant, having joined forces with the coalition in 2022, pledged to bring connectivity to over 120 million people in remote areas across 80 countries by 2025. Today, as we stand on the precipice of the “Thriving Together with Tech: Realizing Sustainable Development” event, Huawei is eager to share the strides made in achieving this ambitious goal.
The event, scheduled for November 21, 2023, in Dongguan, China, and featuring parallel sessions globally, serves as a platform to unveil the tangible progress in global connectivity initiatives. A significant focus is on the symbiotic relationship between technology, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.
Huawei’s collaboration with the ITU and other partners has materialized in groundbreaking projects, one of which is the Gokina Smart Village initiative in rural Pakistan. This collaborative effort involving Huawei, ITU, Universal Service Fund (USF), Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), and UNDP has successfully brought network coverage and essential services to an area previously lacking connectivity and untouched by technology.
In his address Hassan Nasir Jamy, Federal secretary for the Ministry of IT Telecommunication in Pakistan expressed his appreciation and gratitude to all the partners for achieving a significant milestone in our journey towards a Digital Pakistan. It is indeed an honor to share the remarkable progress we have made in collaboration with Huawei and other esteemed partners. The Smart Village Pakistan Project is a beacon of hope, a symbol of progress, and a testament to the power of collaboration. Together, let us build a Digital Pakistan that leaves no one behind”
In education, we identified a critical need for science teachers, particularly in girls’ schools. Through our collaboration with partners like Huawei and ITU, we have harnessed digital education providers, such as Tele-Taleem, to bridge this gap. For the healthcare, the challenges were limited medical services, time-consuming access to health facilities, and a lack of emergency services. In response, our partnership with innovative e-health providers like Sehat Kahani is bringing essential healthcare services to the doorstep of these communities, he added.
The Honorable Federal secretary added, “In alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and our Government’s Digital Pakistan vision, we embark on a transformative initiative taken by Huawei – the Smart Village Pakistan Project. This initiative, born out of collaboration with the Universal Service Fund (USF), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Huawei, symbolizes our commitment to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that no community is left behind in the digital era”.
Mr. Ethan Sun CEO Huawei Technologies Pakistan stated that the Gokina Smart Village Project is not just about connectivity; it’s about transforming lives. It aims to overcome challenges such as limited access to essential services.
Talking to media, Deputy CEO and Director Subsidiary Board Huawei Pakistan Mr. Ahmed Bilal Masud highlighted the progress and achievements of Gokina, saying, “We recognized three areas to work on which are education, health, and digital skills. Our collaboration with Tele-Taleem for e-education, Sehat Kahani for e-health, and the holistic approach towards digital skills and entrepreneurship is a strategic move to address the challenges faced by the local residents”.
Furthermore, the smart village project is in close proximity to the capital as Gokina Village is located in the mountains of Islamabad. This collaboration of smart village is skilled up with different communities of Pakistan. so, the impact of providing education, health and other essential services. They can contribute a lot towards the economic development.
It has huge potential and are proud that we are collaborating and always coming up with ideas and this all we need the idea and to do something for these remote areas of Pakistan. The Gokina Smart Village initiative is a shining example of collaborative development as experts from different industries have joined hands with the public sector to create a high value, scalable model to bring opportunities to underserved and unconnected communities.
Dr Nadeem expresses resolve to deal with malnutrition
ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): Caretaker Federal Minister for Health Dr. Nadeem Jan on Tuesday said there was the highest level of resolve and a strong political will to address the challenge posed by malnutrition in Pakistan.
Addressing the global Food Security Summit in London, the minister said that on the whole equation of malnutrition, Pakistan offers a clear vision, firm political will, reasonable capacities, a trained community-level workforce and a whole governance approach to address this issue.
“The Government of Pakistan welcomes the initiative for enhanced global partnership on tackling global under-nutrition issues and finding new ways of working to deliver results.”
He expressed gratitude to the British government, Somalian government, UAE government, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and other partners for organizing the Global Food Security Summit.
He said that despite some significant progress that Pakistan made in several social sectors, the country is still battling with very high levels of under-nutrition.
He added, that one in five children in Pakistan is wasted, while one in ten children is severely wasted, a condition that increases a child’s risk of death by over 10%. Pakistan is also among the countries with the highest burdens of low birth weight babies, with a national average of 22.7%.
The high population growth, rapid urbanization, market price inflation, global crises, and socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, compounded by suboptimal feeding and caring practices are driving child wasting in Pakistan.
Dr Nadeem said, “We have deficiencies in supply inflows for turning the tide of this malnutrition in Pakistan 150 million USD per year minimum is required to meet the challenge.”
He extended special thanks to Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) for support of USD 10 million. “There are certain lessons from history we must be cognizant of; we propose that the best course forward would be sustainability and continuum of policies, political will, donors will, advocacy coupled with inclusive, innovative, integrated government based programming.”
He said that in order to reduce and maintain childhood wasting to at least less than 15% by 2025, for Pakistan, as committed in Global Action Plan to prevent and manage child wasting, a change in strategic shift and approach is required from relying only on the treatment of children with severe wasting to a deliberate action to prevent and early detect wasting among children by adopting a systems approach.
Accordingly, the government of Pakistan has taken some concrete actions to address the wasting agenda, and these include a paradigm shift and remodelling program from treatment-centric to preventive, detective and curative-centric.
He said that the government is also working on applying the simplified guidelines for wasting management to increase the coverage and early identification of wasting cases, support in enhancing the local capacity to produce ready-to-use
Therapeutic Food (RUTF), unlocking the Nutrition Matching Fund in Punjab and Sindh, and including wasting management in the Conditional Cash Transfer program for the poorest of the poor under BISP Nashonuma Programme.
He said that the government of Pakistan is committed to further strengthening the implementation and monitoring of the strategic shift from treatment to prevention of malnutrition, thereby bringing down the caseload of wasting children.
Accordingly, necessary additional funding will be allocated that will be channelled towards strengthening the prevention, early detection, and management of wasting, including the local procurement of RUTF.
Technology continuously evolving, armed forces need to keep pace with evolving tech: Naval Chief
KARACHI, Nov 21 (APP): Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf on Tuesday emphasised that technology is continuously evolving and the armed forces also need to keep pace with the evolving technology.
Pakistan Navy Industrial Seminar was held at Bahria Auditorium where Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf graced the occasion as Chief Guest here on Tuesday.
While addressing the participants of seminar, Naval Chief lauded the valuable participation of academia and representatives of various industries from private sector, a Pakistan Navy news release said.
He emphasised, “This necessitates close cooperation of the defence sector with local industry and educational institutions. This industrial seminar will provide significant opportunity for local industries to showcase their potential to support Pakistan Navy which is a technology intensive armed force of Pakistan,” he said.
Appreciating the response of private sector in a technologically challenging environment, Chief of the Naval Staff said that Pakistan Navy and local industries will together attain our aim of self-reliance. Speakers from different organizations also highlighted the importance of indigenization and self-reliance.
The seminar was attended by a large number of Naval officers, dignitaries, representatives of local industry and prominent members of academia.
First Pakistani Astronaut Namira Salim – a torchbearer for youth, inspiration for women: Solangi
ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Tuesday said that first Pakistani Astronaut Namira Salim was pride of the nation, and a torchbearer for the youth and inspiration for women.
Addressing a press conference along with Namira Salim, the minister said that the government was proud that it had supported Namira’s space mission.
“Those parents who encourage their daughters are a source of pride for the nation,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Namira Salim said she was grateful to the Ministry of Information for introducing her to the whole country as the “First Pakistani Astronaut” in 2006 and she finally made it true after 17 years.
It was her childhood dream and the country had supported her a lot in the journey to space, she added.
“It was my dream to represent Pakistan,” Namira Salim said, “and I proudly carried the Flag of Pakistan to space.”
The first Pakistan astronaut said through space diplomacy, she was giving the message of peace in the world.
Namira said she was grateful to the Government of Pakistan and her parents who had played an important role in facilitating her journey to space.
She said after commercialization, the cost of space travel had decreased and aspiring Pakistani astronauts would be able to fulfill their dream of space tourism in near future.
She said that the cost of building satellites and space ships might be far less in Pakistan than many countries. As the cooperation in space industry had increased all over the world, the Pakistani private entrepreneurs should venture in this sector too, she added.
She stressed the need of introducing a space curriculum in educational institutions so that the new generation should pursue career in the vital field.
Pakistan’s Phytosanitary certification won global acknowledgment: Dr. Kausar Malik
KARACHI, Nov 21 (APP): Caretaker Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik, Tuesday, said that effective and diligent Phytosanitary certification process of Pakistan had won global acknowledgment and over 130 countries were honouring our clearance certificates.
He presiding over a meeting at Department of Plant Protection (DPP), said that DPP was playing an important role in the economy of the country by properly regulating imports and exports of agricultural commodities particularly implementation of phytosanitary requirements of Pakistan and other countries where agricultural commodities and products were being exported or imported from.
The minister expressed satisfaction over the digitization process which had enabled 100% efficiency of the quarantine facility for agricultural commodities and products at import and export stages and stated “DPP is shielding the plantation of the country through its quarantine facility so that no harmful insect or pest enters the country.”
He also informed the meeting that DPP had reached to an arrangement with the government regarding single window operations that would further reduce bottlenecks in the entire process and would significantly benefit trade in the country.
Due to the effective and efficient role of DPP, he mentioned that the confidence of the global community had increased in Pakistan and our clearance certificates were accepted in more than 130 countries.
Regarding revenue generation, the minister assured that he would take up the case with the finance ministry for diverting some of the revenue generated by the DPP for capacity building of the department.
Earlier, the minister was briefed about the roles and responsibilities of the department as well as infrastructural and administrative issues.
The minister assured every possible assistance for resolving these issues.
Nawaz, Shehbaz meet Fazlur Rehman to discuss current political situation
ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): Leader of the Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, along with former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held discussions on current political scenario with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Jamiat Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F).
Arriving at Rehman’s residence in Islamabad, the ex-prime minister extended condolences to Rehman for the loss of his mother-in-law.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Hydari, Ishaq Dar, Maulana Asad Mehmood, and Engineer Ziaur Rahman attended the meeting.
In first cabinet meeting in Gujranwala, CM announces several public welfare projects
LAHORE, Nov 21 (APP): The Punjab cabinet, led by Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, convened its 32nd meeting in Gujranwala on Tuesday.
Presiding over the meeting at the Commissioner’s Office in Gujranwala, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced four pivotal projects for the city, said a handout issued here.
The projects include the establishment of a vegetable market and Guwala Colony in Gujranwala, along with the construction of 24 new classrooms for DPS Gujranwala. Additionally, approval was granted for the creation of two model graveyards in Gujranwala and the establishment of a Panjab University campus in Daska.
During the meeting, Commissioner Gujranwala Division Naveed Haider Shirazi provided a briefing on the ongoing public welfare projects in the Gujranwala Division. The Punjab cabinet approved setting the minimum support price of wheat at Rs 4,000 per maund, a decision aimed at providing relief to farmers.
Further decisions included an increase in the financial assistance package for the family members of government employees who died during service. The cabinet also greenlit the provision of funds for the establishment of an endowment fund for the welfare of artists, designed to support deserving artists.
In the meeting, it was announced that another heart hospital would be built in Lahore, replacing the Emergency and Trauma Center of Jinnah Hospital with the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology. The cabinet also approved the release of funds
to operationalize the seven-year-old CT scan machine at Mayo Hospital.
Other approvals included the revision of inspection fees for transport vehicles and additional funds from the Punjab government’s resources for the construction and maintenance of Sargodha-Mianwali Road under the PSDP scheme. The cabinet expressed dissatisfaction with the recovery efforts of the irrigation department, directing effective management and planning to improve recovery.
Provincial ministers, advisors, Chief Secretary, Inspector General of Police, Advocate General Punjab, and senior officials attended the meeting.