Day: October 6, 2021

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All stakeholders to be taken on board for census: PM

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that all stakeholders should be taken into confidence regarding census.

Talking to a delegation of MQM in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said institutions are independent in the present government.

He said that electronic voting machines will bring transparency in the elections. He emphasized the need for raising awareness about the positive impact of the EVMs on the electoral process.

The MQM delegation said the government and allied parties are playing an effective role for development of Sindh especially Karachi.

The delegation commended Prime Minister Imran Khan for federal government’s projects of public transport and infrastructure in Karachi.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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Govt stands with Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination: Qureshi

The federal government stands with the Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination and will continue its political, diplomatic and moral support in this regard.

This was stated by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi talking to Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi at Foreign Office in Islamabad on Wednesday.

He said that Pakistan will also continue to highlight Indian oppression and barbarism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at every forum.

He said Pakistan has exposed the dirty face of Indian fascist government by presenting dossier based on irrefutable evidences of Indian oppression and war crimes in the valley.

The AJK Prime Minister apprised the Foreign Minister about future course of action for the development of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and said that the government will address the problems of people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on priority basis.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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CPEC related projects transparent, carry no hidden debt: Asad

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has categorically stated that the CPEC related projects are transparent and carry no hidden debt.

Reacting to a recent report of an American think tank on CPEC at a news conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said details about the corridor project have been shared on multiple occasions including at the level of parliament. There is also a parliamentary oversight on this mega project.

The Minister clarified that the Chinese debt is only twenty six percent of the total external liabilities of Pakistan. He said Pakistan has a debt servicing challenge which we are meeting but clarified that they do not have any problem with the Chinese debt.

Asad Umar said the terms of debt financing for power projects executed under the CPEC is actually more favorable than the non-CPEC financing which had come in from other multilateral agencies.

He said the loans which were taken by the government were also at the concessional rate of two percent. He said China has also provided grants to execute different CPEC related projects. A vocational training institute has been established in Gwadar with the Chinese grant.

Asad Umar said fake news are spread against the corridor project in order to spread despondency amongst the people and give a wrong impression to the world about Pakistan.

The Minister for Planning said most of the projects under the CPEC have been completed in the stipulated period. He said both Pakistan and China welcome investment from other countries in this project. He said Pakistan will support transforming this bilateral corridor into a regional corridor project.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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NEPRA Partners With Akhuwat, KE & Engro to Make Solar Power More Accessible

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), in collaboration with Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM), K-Electric (KE), and Engro Energy, will now offer interest-free microfinance loans (Qarz-e-Hasna) to households and small business owners for the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

In this connection, NEPRA, while pursuing its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive ‘Power with Prosperity’, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the trio on Wednesday to make solar energy more accessible for the unserved and the underserved communities of Pakistan.

It is worth mentioning here that Chairman NEPRA, Tauseef H. Farooqi, launched ‘Power with Prosperity Fund’ earlier this year to initiate mega CSR projects to uplift the underprivileged communities of the country. And, the MoU has been reached at a time when solar power makes less than 2% of the entire power mix. The government intends to boost the share of clean and green energy up to 60% of the total energy mix by 2030, so this initiative by NEPRA is viewed as a remarkable step to provide access to a clean energy source in an affordable manner for homeowners and small businesses.

Under the MoU, KE and Engro Energy will donate a cumulative revolving grant of Rs. 15 million to Akhuwat which will create a dedicated credit pool for the loan borrowers. The loan duration will be up to 36 months with a minimum loan size of Rs. 20,000 with no interest rate.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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Pakistan Pavilion Showcases Clean & Green Initiative at Dubai Expo 2020

The Pakistan Pavilion Expo 2020 organized a panel discussion on Clean Green Pakistan with the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, in order to highlight the efforts that Pakistan has made on climate change. The event was organized with PepsiCo Pakistan.

The Climate and Biodiversity Thematic Week started in Dubai Expo 2020 on October 3 and will continue till October 9. During this week, several talk forums and thought leadership sessions have so far been organized.

Speaking on the occasion, Malik Amin Aslam shed light on the initiatives taken by the present government toward a Clean and Green Pakistan. He also shared Pakistan’s plans for the future. He stressed the urgency to preserve the environment and adopt effective methods to make future progress eco-friendly.

He appreciated the role of the private sector in working in unison with the government on climate change.

He also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between PepsiCo Pakistan and Novatex for putting up a bottle recycling plant with the capacity to recycle 500 million bottles a year. The plant will be operational by 2022.

Source: Pro Pakistani