A delegation of Federal Ministers and MNAs hailing from erstwhile FATA calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addresses the National Assembly session
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addresses the National Assembly session
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addresses the National Assembly session
Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to Tajikistan, Mr Muhammad Saeed Sarwar, called on President Dr Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr
17.41 million children vaccinated in first phase of Polio drive
ISLAMABAD, Mar 28 (APP):The government has successfully completed the first phase of polio vaccination campaign to immunize more than 17.41 million children under the age of five years in Sindh and Punjab.
The five-day vaccination campaign was held in two phases due to the concurring activities of the seventh national census.
In the first phase, over 17.41 million children under the age of five in 13 districts of Punjab and 16 districts of Sindh and Islamabad were vaccinated from March 13 to 17.
The second phase will be held from April 03 to 07 – during the second week of Ramazan – to vaccinate more than 4.12 million children in 12 districts of Balochistan and 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the seven endemic districts in the southern region of the province.
Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel urged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children receive the life-saving polio vaccine so that they remain protected from poliovirus, which has been found circulating in environmental samples.
“The presence of wild polio in the environment shows that the virus is circulating in our communities and posing a serious risk to our children,” said Abdul Qadir Patel, the minister.
“During Ramazan, population movements can increase the risk of further spread, therefore, it is critical that parents and caregivers vaccinate their children in this and every campaign,” the minister said.
“We have specifically designed this March campaign to reach areas where population movement is not just frequent but also expected during Ramazan and Eid festival,” said Dr Shahzad Baig, National Emergency Operations Center.
“It is essential that we reach as many children as possible with the vaccine now to curb polio transmission,” he added.
No human case has been reported in Pakistan since September 2022 when a polio outbreak paralyzed 20 children – all of them in southern KP districts.
Wild poliovirus was detected for the first time this year in sewage samples collected from two separate sites in Lahore in January.
Two more samples have since then tested positive for polio – wild polio has been detected in a sample collected from D.I. Khan and variant poliovirus has been detected from Ghotki.
The polio programme has taken all efforts to ensure the vaccination of children to keep them safe from this highly infectious disease in the context of positive environmental samples detected in some places.
The Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline 1166 and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46 will be available to assist parents and caregivers in reporting missed children and providing related information.
50 new Coronavirus cases were reported in 24 hours
ISLAMABAD, Mar 28 (APP):Health officials on Tuesday said that 50 new Coronavirus cases were reported during the last 24 hours across the country.
As per the data shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Tuesday, the case positivity ratio was 1.77 percent while 23 patients were in critical condition.
No death was reported from the Coronavirus in the last 24 hours while 2,818 Covid-19 tests were conducted.
As many as 421 tests were conducted in Lahore out of which, eight cases were confirmed with a ratio of 1.90 percent, while 234 tests were conducted in Islamabad out of which eight cases were reported confirmed with a ratio of 3.42 percent. Five cases were confirmed from 295 tests in Rawalpindi with a ratio of 1.69 percent.
Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel said the government has strengthened the role of Border and Health Services in Pakistan to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19.
The minister said there was a surveillance system at all entry points of the country including airports. There will be rapid tests and screening of passengers at all airports, he added.
He added 90 percent of the country’s population already got the Covid-19 vaccine.
“An efficient system with a proper management team is fully functional in the country to remain vigilant and is ready to make an emergency plan to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19,” the minister added.
He said the Border and Health Services Pakistan was ensuring the implementation of international health regulations.
He said that in case of any untoward situation, the health system was fully prepared to deal with any sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 including BF.7 in the country.
China appreciates PM Shehbaz’s remarks on Thar coal power project
BEIJING, March 28 (APP):A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tuesday appreciated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks on the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project and said, “Just as the prime minister has stated, the project will turn the region of sand dunes into a source of power.”
“China appreciates Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement. Just as the prime minister has said, Thar Coal Block-I electricity integration project will turn the region of sand dunes to a source of power,” Mao Ning said during her regular briefing in response to a question asked by APP.
On March 23, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally inaugurated the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Shehbaz Sharif said that it was a moment of great delight for the whole of Pakistan.
“This was a desert region with the sand dunes only. Now it has been transformed and industrialized. This great project would provide a lot of boost to Pakistan’s economy in the years to come,” the PM added.
The spokesperson said the project would transmit electricity across Pakistan and serve the interest of local economy and people’s livelihood. “The project epitomizes the CPEC as a pilot project of Belt and Road cooperation.”
Mao Ning remarked that CPEC had been in steady progress with fruitful outcomes in energy cooperation, and many job opportunities locally, providing a positive contribution to improving the energy structure and improving energy security in Pakistan.
“China is ready to work with Pakistan to act on the consensus between the two leaders, promote high quality development of CPEC, inject impetus to sustainable socio-economic development and contribute to the well-being of the two countries and to peoples,” she added.
The plant, which was officially put into commercial operation in early February, has two 660-megawatt high-parameter coal-fired generating units, supported by an annual output of 7.8 million tons of lignite open-pit coal mine. It is capable of meeting the electricity demand of four million households in Pakistan.
The Thar Coal Block-I is likely to help Pakistan in reducing fuel imports, saving foreign exchange reserves, optimizing power supply structure and enhancing energy security.
A vendor busy in displaying and selling tea cups at roadside setup
Construction work of sewerage line in process during development work in the city near Chungi no 09
