Pakistan’s Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority (NPHDA) is developing a new system to provide houses to daily wagers. In addition, the new model will assist daily wage earners with low incomes to benefit from the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, according to the organization’s spokesperson, Asim Shaukat Ali. An 11-year-old project that included 1,000 apartments and 500 homes was finally completed.
PM Imran Khan will likely launch the first national emergency helpline 911 on July 25. The government has set a tentative deadline for the launch of Pakistan Emergency Helpline (PEHL). In addition, the new number, 911, will bring together all the emergency services in Pakistan. Moreover, taking its cue from the USA’s emergency number 911, the Prime Minister secretariat adapted this concept to give the scheme its national character.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah M. Qureshi appealed to Russia to help Pakistan acquire 5M doses of Sputnik vaccines. Qureshi hopes that dialogue mechanisms, such as Pakistan-Russia IGC and various joint working groups meetings, can resume in-person once the Covid-19 situation has normalized.
Pakistan’s capital Karachi has been ranked in the list of the world’s least liveable cities. According to the ranking, Pakistan’s financial hub(Karachi) was listed at 7th place and Bangladesh’s capital was listed at 4th. However, Damascus is the world’s least liveable city, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU’s) Global Livability Ranking for 2021.
Budget 2021-22 outlined a number of measures aimed at curbing car prices in the automobile sector. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin announced tax exemptions for vehicles with an engine size of 850cc during the launch of the federal budget on Friday. Moreover, the government also lowered its sales tax on these cars from 17% to 12.5%.
On Friday, the government presented its third budget, aiming to strike a balance between GDP growth and expenditures. In addition to a crippling budget deficit, Pakistan faces pandemic-induced poverty as well as economic recovery challenges. Budget outlays of Rs8.49 trillion are 19% higher than the revised figure of last year. However, no new taxes will be imposed on the salaried class.
According to a research paper published by an think-tank, Tabadlab, Pakistan has lost $38 billion in economic growth as a result of the FATF putting the country on its grey list three times since 2008. Pakistan may remain on the FATF list of countries whose anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing laws do not fully comply with international standards.
On Thursday, the Pakistani government announced that overseas Pakistanis now have the right to vote in the National Assembly. Zulfiqar Bukhari, former special assistant to the prime minister for overseas Pakistanis, confirmed the news via Twitter and praised the PTI-led government, especially Imran Khan. For the first time in 73 years, overseas Pakistanis can now vote in the National Assembly.
Zartaj Gul, the Minister of State for Climate Change, said the government plans to reward students who plant at least 20 trees with an extra 20 marks. Parliament is considering legislation in this regard, which would involve youth in the plantation project. Prime Minister Imran Khan has emphasized the importance of youth involvement in the fight against climate change.
Radio Pakistan reports that Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the first “one-window Ehsaas center” in Islamabad on Wednesday. At the event, PM Khan was briefed about the initiative, which is designed to provide easy access to all services and facilities of the Ehsaas program. Moreover, a similar facility is planned for every district throughout the country.