The prices of petroleum products in Pakistan are set for a steep fall — up to 57 per cent. Though a decision would be announced in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has worked out up to 57pc cut in various products’ prices. According to an official, Ogra had calculated about Rs20.68 per litre reduction in the prices petrol.
NAB has issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister and PML-N founder Nawaz Sharif in a case of giving illegal concessions on plots in 1986. Nawaz is accused of using his powers as Punjab chief minister in 1986 giving concessions to Jang Group and Geo TV owner Mir Shakilur Rehman on 54 plots in Lahore’s Johar Town.
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Sheikh has said the price of petroleum products will drop from May 1. He added that similarly, the cost of traveling and investment in the energy sector will also be reduced. On March 25, the federal government cut petrol price by Rs 15 per litre and said it would maintain that level for three months or even reduce it further.
A bit of good news for hikers and nature lovers in the capital: Islamabad has decided to reopen its hiking trails. The trails had been shut down during the lockdown imposed in the country to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, the district administration of the city issued a notification for hiking trails to be reopened for public.
Prime Minister Imran Khan aims to provide ration, funds and other help to all overseas Pakistanis in these stressful times of the novel coronavirus. For this purpose he has ordered the foreign ministry to provide him data of all overseas Pakistanis. According to the prime minister, remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis contribute to a big chunk of revenues for the country and their contribution is very crucial for Pakistan.
Punjab will begin random COVID-19 testing of people for an assessment of coronavirus prevalence in the province from Tuesday. This will help draw a complete epidemiological assessment of the situation,” the Health Department of Punjab said in a tweet on Monday night. The samples will include these places in the beginning: hospitals, mandis, markets, residential areas and pharmacies.
The Punjab government has launched a mobile application Taleem Ghar in order to facilitate the students confined to their home due to the coronavirus lockdown. Previously, the government launched a TV channel by the same name. Students from class one to eight as well as matric and intermediate will be able to study using this app very soon.
The federal government is going to pay the electricity bills for small businesses across the country for the months of May, June and July. Federal Minister of Industries and Production Hammad Azhar announced this. He also announced a package for labourers laid off during the coronavirus lockdown during a Monday afternoon press conference. He said Rs75 billion has been allocated for the package.
Over 80% mosques in Punjab and Islamabad have failed to implement government directives and safety guidelines, finds a report. The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan crosses 13,000. The report has been published by the Islamabad-based NGO, Pattan Development Organisation. Team of observers visited 194 mosques of Punjab province, as well as the capital city. Also, they compared the situation with a checklist of 20 rules the ulema had agreed to with the president.
The Hyderabad district administration has set up a system allowing people to get themselves registered for rations via SMS. They have to send an SMS with the word ‘Ration’ and their CNIC number and send it to 88434. They will then get a token via mobile which will allow them to receive the rations. If it’s a repeated CNIC number we get a message, said one official.