Day: April 6, 2024

The spring vacation has been extended to cover the Eid holidays, and as a result, educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will reopen on April 15th.

The Elementary and Higher Education Department issued separate notifications, directing all government and private educational institutions to observe Eid holidays and remain closed until April 13th (Saturday).

As educational institutions were already closed for the spring recess from April 1st, the commencement of new sessions has been postponed due to the holidays.

The untimely spring recess is primarily due to the non-availability of free textbooks, as the provincial government has yet to provide them to students. Consequently, the scheduled start of the new academic year has passed.

Previously, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had notified spring vacations for all public and private educational institutions across the province from April 1st to April 8th.

The government had directed all principals, head teachers, and clerical staff to remain pre
sent during the vacations to oversee the distribution of free textbooks and ensure the continuation of the admission process for new students during the enrolment campaign.

Source: ProPakistani

Finance Division has refuted the misleading impression circulating on media that ECC has delayed the decision on wheat procurement targets.

In a press release today, it said there is no truth to these assertions.

The Finance Division said ECC of the Cabinet discussed the matters related to wheat procurement in its meeting held on Thursday.

After considering the views of the relevant Federal Ministries, the members of the ECC felt that it would be advisable to include the Provincial governments in the deliberations, as they would be responsible to implement the decisions on the ground.

The meeting was therefore reconvened yesterday and representatives of all the Provincial governments participated.

They provided updates to the Committee on the latest situation relating to procurement of wheat in their respective areas and apprised it of their requirements for bank credit for the purpose.

The Committee after detailed deliberations approved the procurement target proposed by the Ministry of Food Security
and the Provinces and the cash credit limits required for the purpose.

The relevant departments did not suggest any enhancement or reduction in targets presented by the Ministry of Food Security, neither did the ECC approve any such change.

The Government of Punjab informed the Committee that it is closely monitoring the wheat situation in the Province and had initiated procurement process. They further informed that the provincial government would continue to intervene to make sure that farmers are able to sell their produce at the support price level.

Source: Radio Pakistan

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) recently discovered a significant gas theft operation in Karachi, valued at millions of rupees.

This discovery was made during a coordinated raid conducted by SSGC’s Central Revenue Department (CRD) and Central Gas Testing Organization (CGTO) in Gul Hasan Town near Sabzi Mandi.

Following the investigation, it was revealed that the network had been supplying gas to over 2,500 houses by directly tapping into the service line. The SSGC team immediately disconnected all 2,500 illegal connections, effectively putting an end to the operation.

As per SSGC’s estimates, the gas thieves were illegally extracting a staggering 2,400,000 cubic meters of gas each year, valued at an alarming Rs 75,000,000.

SSGC underscored the importance of gas as a national resource and reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards theft. The company pledged to enhance its efforts in cracking down on gas theft and imposing fines based on the stolen gas volume.

Earlier this month, the Sui Northern Ga
s Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) dismantled a 4,500-meter illegal pipeline and disconnected 440 unauthorized connections linked to it in the Lower Dir district.

The SNGPL spokesperson revealed that the pipeline was supplying gas to several villages, including Damamo, Awlia Banda, Bandagai, Tangi, Nakhtaro, Koto, and Shagai. The spokesperson added that a total of 36 million cubic feet of illegal gas was being stolen.

Source: ProPakistani

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has urged the Afghan government to fulfil its commitments towards combating terrorism.

The call was made at the nineteenth annual meeting of the Security Councils of the SCO in Astana, Kazakhstan.

A joint statement issued after the SCO meeting stated that the presence of international terrorist groups and other groups based in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to the member states of the SCO.

It emphasised the importance of expanding cooperation to address terrorist threats, transnational organised crime, suppression of channels financing terrorism, and illegal migration.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Saudi Arabia on an official visit via commercial flight.

During the flight, the Prime Minister interacted with fellow passengers, graciously posing for selfies with them. He also took the opportunity to inquire about the well-being of children onboard, warmly placing his hand on their heads.

Accompanying the Prime Minister on this significant journey is the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Among the federal cabinet members accompanying the Prime Minister are Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif, Mohammad Aurangzeb, Abdul Aleem Khan, Ataullah Tarar, and Ahad Cheema.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to stay in Madinah tonight.

Source: Radio Pakistan