Pakistan certifies first organic cotton bale
Balochistan on Wednesday marked the certification of Pakistan's first organic cotton bale at a ceremony held at Kot Sabzal. Balochistan's Minister for Agriculture Engineer Zamrak Khan said the provincial
Dawn (Pakistan)
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CNG to be sold at Rs43.68
The CNG will be sold at governmental rates of Rs43.68 per kilogramme at all private outlets in the district. This was decided at the meeting of the representatives of district administration and CNG association's office-bearers here on Friday. Deputy District Officer (revenue) Rao Imtiaz Ahmed told Dawn the district government was taking note of complaints by the CNG consumers about overcharging.
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Rawalpindi braces for dengue outbreak
The district health department has said that Rawalpindi is so far safe from dengue as all possible measures have been taken to control the mosquito-borne infection in urban and suburban areas. Executive District Officer (EDO) Health Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal told Dawn that broad application of insecticides using portable and truck-mounted machines was being carried out in the district to prevent mosquito breeding. He said mapping of areas in and around the city had been carried based on the experience of last year when six cases of dengue fever were reported to hospitals in Rawalpindi.
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Sindh to raise water theft issue with Irsa
The issue of theft of water from the Indus, between Chashma Barrage (in Punjab) and Guddu Barrage (in Sindh), with the help of pumping machines will be taken up in the next Indus River System Authority meeting, said Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo on Thursday. Talking to journalists at the irrigation rest house, he said that he had written a letter to Federal Minister for Water and Power Pervez Ashraf regarding water shortage in Sindh and requested closure of Chashma-Jhehlum Link Canal which the minister had accepted accordingly.
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Islamabad hospitals put on alert: Another dengue case confirmed
The health ministry on Thursday put hospitals in the capital on alert as one more positive case of dengue fever was confirmed by National Institute of Health and vowed to prevent the disease from becoming a serious threat to public health this year. The second dengue fever case is also being treated at Polyclinic Hospital. The first case was reported on Wednesday when a Frontier Constabulary jawan Jannas Khan tested positive and became the first case of this season.
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Food scheme to benefit 500 from every UC
Up to 500 people for each union council of Sahiwal district will benefit from the newly-launched Food Stamp Scheme, Dawn has learnt. District Coordination Officer (DCO) Muhammad Khan Khichi told Dawn all members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) had been provided with Food Stamp Scheme forms, but the recipients recommended by them would be scrutinised at two levels: first at the district level and second at the sub-divisional level.
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Dengue fever outbreak feared in Islamabad: One case tested positive
Doctors detected the first positive case of dengue fever of the season on Wednesday and warned of possible outbreak of the disease in the capital city. A Frontier Constabulary constable was the first to contract the disease from the barracks where he had been staying. He was later admitted to Polyclinic Hospital with high fever, where he is still being treated. "We are sure that he contracted the disease from there because he had not been out of the city for the past 30 days,' doctor treating him at the hospital said.
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CNG outlets ignore govt price
Retail outlets are still selling CNG at an average price of Rs48.80 per kg despite correction by the government of an erroneous announcement about price increase. The CNG Association believes that the situation has been created to deprive people of the cheap fuel. The association finds it technically impossible to ensure uniform CNG retail prices, as desired by the federal cabinet, because of varying input costs and heating value of natural gas which differs from field to field and province to province.
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CMs may discuss Kalabagh dam'
A consensus is being evolved among the provinces on most of the issues and Kalabagh Dam might also come under discussion among chief ministers, says Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. Mr Shah said this while talking to reporters at the residence of Haji Azizur Rehman Chan, a Pakistan People's Party leader, on Wednesday. He said Kalabagh Dam would only be undertaken when consensus was achieved on the project, which only time would tell how and when it happened.
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Canal breach damages crops
A 90-foot breach in Khewra canal near Chak 385-JB inundated crops spreading over hundreds of acres of farmland late Monday night.Faisalabad irrigation department west circle superintending engineer Rana Rafiq Ahmad and Jhang executive engineer Abbas Shahid Cheema visited the spot and ordered a probe. The affected growers demanded that the authorities concerned should write off their loans as compensation.
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Animal exchange programme hits snags: Death of two red deer in Karachi zoo
The animal exchange programme between the Safari Park and the Karachi Zoo has once again come to an abrupt halt following the death of two red deer during their shifting to the zoo recently. The Safari Park authorities are now reluctant to hand over more animals to the Karachi Zoo unless the latter develops and implements a proper and standardised protocol for shifting of animals.