Category: Information Technology

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved, in principle, the provision of a technical supplementary grant of $150 million for the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This decision came as a result of the ECC evaluating a proposal submitted by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), Regulations & Coordination. The meeting was chaired by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, here in Islamabad.

The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) briefed the ECC that this shall be the first phase of procurement, and the amount of vaccine will suffice for the most vulnerable 5 percent of the population consisting of the health workers and the population above the age of 65 years. Around 10 million people would be provided a vaccine cover under the aforementioned arrangement.

The ECC further directed the Ministry of National Health Services to discuss the proposal with World Bank (WB), and other donors in coordination with Economic Affairs Division so that they could assist in providing the financing facility for the provision of the vaccine during the first phase and the procurement of additional quantities in future as needed.

Moreover, the Committee directed the Ministry of NHS to draft a holistic proposal regarding the pricing and risk mitigation mechanism for the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine for provision on a wider scale, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

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The ECC also approved the request of the Economic Affairs Division to proceed with the formal request for availing the G-20 Debt Relief for the extended period, i.e., January-June 2021. Approval of the Federal Cabinet would still be required for the signing of the bilateral debt service suspension agreements.

The Committee also approved two technical supplementary grants for “Initiating the Process of Retrenchment of Pakistan Steel Mills Employees (PSM)” for an amount of Rs. 19.656 billion and “Prime Minister’s Special Package to Implement Skills for All Strategy as Catalyst for TVET Sector Development in Pakistan” for Rs. 500 million.

Furthermore, Rs. 689.3 million were also approved as budget re-appropriation for National Information Technology Board (NITB) for fulfilling its various requirements.

The ECC also approved the proposal by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) for the allocation of 2.25 MMCFD gas from Umair -1 to M/s OGDCL for sale to M/s Engro at a mutually agreed and negotiated price, under a Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement subject to initiation of Field Development Plan and Development and Production Lease.

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ECC was also briefed on the status of wheat import through the Trade Corporation of Pakistan. Ministry of National Food Security and Research briefed the Committee on the provision of additional an 340,000 MT of Wheat. For this purpose, a tender was floated on 11-10-2020 and the bids were opened on 18-10-2020, and the lowest bid was accepted. The total quantity to be imported now stands at 2.248 MMT.

Minister for Industries and Production, Hammad Azhar, Minister for Economic Affairs, Khusro Bakhtiar, Adviser to the PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity, Ishrat Hussain, SAPM on Petroleum, Nadeem Babar and SAPM on Revenue, Dr. Waqar Masood, also participated in the meeting.

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FBR is seeking applications for five-year licenses for electronic monitoring of tobacco products, sugar, fertilizer and cement, manufactured or imported in Pakistan.

The FBR issued instructions for License (IFL) for an IT-based solution for Electronic Monitoring (Track and Trace System) for tobacco products, sugar, fertilizer and cement.

According to the details released by the FBR here on Friday, the authority is seeking applications for the grant of five-year licenses under Licensing Rules, 2019 (as amended from time to time) of Track and Trace System for electronic monitoring of tobacco products, sugar, fertilizer and cement, manufactured or imported in Pakistan.

In order to prevent leakage of federal tax revenue and under-reporting of production and sales of tobacco, cement, sugar and fertilizer products and to ensure proper payment of duties on the manufacture and sale of the goods, FBR is mandated to license the development, implementation, operation and maintenance of a track and trace system.

The system shall cover all goods manufactured in and imported into Pakistan and also products manufactured in Pakistan for export.

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The licensees will be responsible for end-to-end installation and operation of a Track and Trace System connecting manufacturing sites and import stations to the FBR’s Central Control Room (CCR).

The Track and Trace System would include the provision of tax stamps and integrated codes to enable real-time electronic monitoring of the above products throughout Pakistan.

The System must enable FBR to do the following:

Monitor production activities of the concerned production lines, factory premises and designated import stations; Generate near real-time information about volumes of the goods produced at the manufacturing lines; Obtain validated information during manufacturing that will support the correct collection of applicable taxes levied on the goods; and Collect validated inputs at manufacturing for determination of the origin and legal status of the goods after manufacturing.

Instructions for Licensing (IFL) document can be collected from the FRB’s offices on any working day through written application. IFL documents may be downloaded from PPRA (www.ppra.org.pk) & FBR (www.fbr.gov.pk) websites.

Further details can be obtained from FBR House, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad during office hours (0900 to 1700 hours) [9 am to 5 pm].

All the applicants shall submit their technical and financial proposals in sealed envelopes separately, which will be evaluated as per evaluation criteria given in the IFL and related annexure.

Sealed applications must be delivered by or before 1600 hours (PST) on December 19, 2020, at the address given below, which shall be opened on the same date at 1630 hours in the presence of the authorized representatives of applicants, who may choose to be present.

A pre-licensing conference shall be held at FBR-HQ, Islamabad at 1100 hours on December 4, 2020, in the Conference Room, FBR(HQ), Islamabad. The FBR reserves the right to accept or reject the applications as per the Licensing Rules, 2019 (as amended from time to time).

The applicants responding to the instructions must ensure that the system being offered is suitable for monitoring, in real or near-real time, in the production lines as well as 6 designated import stations for the goods, FBR added.

The data and other information obtained directly or indirectly from the manufacturer and importers of the goods or otherwise including information transmitted through any means shall be the property of FBR and the licensee shall not disclose this data and other information to any third party without prior approval of FBR.

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The licensee shall not sell or commercially exploit the above data or use it for any other purposes than the license. The licensee will be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of system data, mitigation of data breaches and will bear all associated costs.

Confidentiality obligations will extend to the licensee personnel and to any third parties or affiliates involved in the provision of the system or services, with the licensee retaining primary responsibility for any breach of confidentiality, FBR added.

The post FBR Issues Instructions for Track and Trace System Licenses appeared first on .

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A fire has erupted in an electronics shop near the Cooperative Market in the Saddar area of Karachi. Fire tenders have arrived at the spot to douse the fire.

As per initial reports, the incident occurred at around 5 pm in the evening due to a short circuit. No casualties have been reported so far.

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Last month, a massive fire had engulfed Lahore’s Hafeez Center that destroyed the building. The flames were so strong that it took several hours and a number of firefighters to put out the fire.

The building has been declared unsafe for any business activity and the government has announced Rs. 5 billion relief package for affected traders.

It is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.

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Babar Azam spoke to the media before Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand, saying that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has promised a longer run as an all-format captain irrespective of the results.

He added that the PCB has supported him throughout his career and that he is grateful for being nominated the new captain of the Test side.

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Azam said that he has learned a lot in limited-overs cricket and that senior players like Azhar Ali and Sarfaraz Ahmed have played a crucial part in his development as a player and captain. He mentioned that he is still learning as a captain and is getting used to its additional pressure.

“The real joy of cricket is playing under pressure. I enjoy playing cricket. I am not threatened that I will be removed if we lose against New Zealand. I have been given complete confidence from the management and a free hand in decision-making,” he said.

Azam remarked that he is hopeful of a good outcome against New Zealand and the confidence of the Pakistani team is very high after winning the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe.

He added that the team is in high spirits and that all the players have a good camaraderie that enables them to perform at such a high-level.

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Azam also acknowledged the role of the former coach, Mickey Arthur, in his career. He said that he had initially performed poorly in Test cricket and Arthur had given him both ample opportunities and the confidence to prove his mettle.

He concluded the media talk by saying that he is looking forward to an exciting tour of New Zealand and will try his best to perform well throughout the series.

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Saudi Arabia has reportedly withdrawn the celebratory banknote that depicted the entire Kashmir region as an independent territory. The note was issued to commemorate the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 summit last month.

According to India Today, the two countries have resolved the issue and Saudi Arabia has withdrawn the currency note. The newspaper reported quoting ‘reliable sources’ that its printing has been stopped.

“Saudi Arabia swiftly moved to handle the issue after Indian envoy to Riyadh, Ambassador Ausaf Sayeed, on October 28, lodged a protest against the wrongful depiction of India’s external boundaries on the map printed on the 20 Riyal banknote,” the paper said.

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The note had King Salman and the G20 Saudi summit logo on one side and the world map on the other.

However, it showed the entire Jammu, and Kashmir region, including Ladakh, and Gilgit-Baltistan an independent region. Both India and Pakistan had expressed reservations about it.

Commenting on the development on Thursday briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava said:

We had taken up the matter of incorrect depiction of the Indian boundaries with the Saudi authorities and we have taken it up both here in New Delhi as well as in Riyadh. We have been informed by the Saudi authorities that they have noted our concerns in this matter.

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According to the daily, it learned from credible sources that the currency which was meant to be a souvenir and not for circulation has been withdrawn.

The 15th G20 Summit chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the theme ‘Realising the Opportunities of 21st Century for All’ is scheduled for November 21 and 22. The meeting will be held virtually.

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Babar Azam has taken the cricket world by storm with his stellar batting displays over the past few years. He was recently lauded all over the world for his batting performance in the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) that led the Karachi Kings to its first-ever PSL title.

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Azam’s performances are not just hailed in Pakistan alone. Cricketers from across the border are impressed with the Pakistani captain as well.

The Indian spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, was recently a guest on Inzamam-ul-Haq’s YouTube channel where he remarked that he enjoys watching Azam’s batting and praised his magnificent batting.

“Babar Azam looks like a million-dollar player. He has scored a hundred in Australia. It is so good to see him bat so well. He is a treat for the eyes. What do you think about Babar Azam?” Ashwin said.

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Inzamam agreed but opined that Azam still has room for improvement and that he still has not reached his potential. He added that the best is yet to come from the Pakistani cricketer.

Inzamam went on to say that Azam is still very young, having played cricket for only five years. If he continues to play like this, bigger and better things await him. He shared his insight that an international cricketer matures properly after playing seven to eight years of international cricket and that Azam still has to develop himself.

Babar Azam is currently the only batsman in the top five across all the formats in world rankings. He is also the leading run-scorer in the T20s this year and has been nominated as the national captain in all three formats.

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The Punjab government has imposed an immediate ban on indoor wedding events in view of the rising Coronavirus cases across the province.

According to the official notification, the ban will remain in effect till 31 January 2021.

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Meanwhile, outdoor wedding events will be exempted from the ban. However, the provincial government has limited the number of guests for each such event to a maximum of 300 people. It has also issued stern directions to all district administrations to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 SOPs for outdoor wedding events.

On 15 September, the Punjab government had reopened the wedding halls and marquees under strict SOPs after a decline in Coronavirus cases across the province.

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Earlier today, Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (PSHD) recommended early and extended winter vacations in educational institutions, starting from 23 November.

In the last 24 hours, Punjab reported 609 cases and 15 deaths due to COVID-19. Overall, 2,738 new cases and 36 deaths were reported yesterday all over Pakistan.

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Vivo announced on Thursday they’re replacing the FuntouchOS with a new and upgraded operating system. The introduction of the new OriginOS will reportedly offer more interactive widgets, new gestures, visual changes and a few UI tweaks here and there.

Today, Vivo has released a definitive roadmap for update queries regarding OriginOS.

30 Vivo Smartphones will reportedly support the option to switch to the new operating system. The unreleased X Series – probably the rumored Vivo X60 – will be the first Vivo phones running on OriginOS fresh out of the box.

Vivo will reportedly roll out the public beta for OriginOS for in accordance with the following variant breakdown:

Out of the box

New vivo X series

Before January 31, 2021

vivo NEX 3S
vivo X50 Pro+
vivo X50 Pro
vivo X50
vivo S7
vivo iQOO 5 Pro
vivo iQOO 5
vivo iQOO 3
vivo iQOO Pro
vivo iQOO
vivo iQOO Neo3

Before Chinese New Year (February 12, 2021)

vivo NEX 3/vivo NEX 3 5G
vivo X30 Pro
vivo X30
vivo iQOO Neo
vivo iQOO Neo 855

In Q2 2021

vivo X27 Pro
vivo X27
vivo S6
vivo S5
vivo S1 Pro
vivo S1
vivo Z6
vivo Z5x
vivo Z5i
vivo Z5
vivo iQOO Z1x
vivo iQOO Z1
vivo NEX Dual Display
vivo NEX S
vivo NEX A

This update targets Smartphone users all around the world – mostly China – where Google Services don’t work. There’s little to no information about a tentative global rollout schedule at this time.

Expect to get some official impressions a month or two after the OS is released in China.

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The seasoned fast bowler Sohail Tanvir has tested positive for the coronavirus after landing in Sri Lanka for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

The 35-year-old is part of the Kandy Tuskers squad and is the second franchise player after Ravindra Pal Singh to test positive for the virus. He has been placed in isolation for 10 days.

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Tanvir had replaced Wahab Riaz in the Kandy squad after the latter had pulled out of the tournament. He had recently spearheaded Multan Sultan’s bowling attack in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season Five.

Though there’s no word on whether they will be ruled out of the entire tournament. Tuskers coach, Hashan Tillakaratne, said he will speak to the franchise owners about the possibility.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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