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  • Punjab govt’s first-ever digital payment method collects Rs1 billion

    Punjab govt’s first-ever digital payment method collects Rs1 billion

    Punjab government’s first-ever payment aggregator — a service provider that allows merchants to process mobile or e-commerce payments — called ePay and launched for citizen facilitation and ease of business, has collected over Rs1 billion in tax revenue, The Express Tribune reported.

    ePay was launched on October 4 last year in a collaborative effort between the provincial finance department and Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).

    Read more: Realme unveils ‘Quad Camera BatteryKing 5i’, ‘Triple Camera Game Monster C3’

    This application provides the public with a stress-free and efficient method of paying taxes and making payments to the government through contemporary banking channels, without going through the ages-old exhausting process.

    Moreover, multiple new payment channels like debit/credit card, mobile wallets, TELCO agent networks and direct debit from the account are being added to further increase the payment options available to the citizens and businesses in the app.

    Read more: Study reveals: Excessive smartphone usage affects brain like drugs

    Additionally, it is also planned to include Government to Public (G2P) and Government to Business (G2B) payment models in future to broaden the horizon of the programme and also add tax/non-tax receipts like online admission fee for colleges/schools, driving license fee, e-challan, character certificate, domicile, fitness certificate (commercial vehicles) and agriculture income tax.

    Read more: Pakistan, US trade negotiation failed

    The initiative has proved to be a game-changer in the local fintech industry by playing a pivotal role in increasing tax revenue collection of the province and improving financial inclusion. In its first phase, 13 taxes/levies of five departments have been made part of the system.

    Excise & Taxation, Board of Revenue (BoR), Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA), Industries and Transport are the departments liaised with the system through which citizens can pay token tax, motor vehicle registration, transfer of motor vehicle, property tax, professional tax, cotton fee, e-stamping, mutation fee, fard fee and sales tax among others.

  • Senate body orders earliest opening of beauty salon for women parliamentarians

    Senate body orders earliest opening of beauty salon for women parliamentarians

    The Senate House Committee has ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to open a beauty salon at Parliament Lodges for women lawmakers “as soon as possible”, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

    The committee, headed by Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla, gave the directions after Senator Kulsoom Parveen said that despite clear directions from the convener of the committee to consult her and Samina Saeed for the allocation of a place for the salon in Parliament Lodges, the CDA officials had not bothered to contact either of them.

    The chairman directed CDA to solve the issue on priority with consultations of the two senators.

    Regarding complaints of different senators about their accommodation in Parliament Lodges, the Senate deputy chairman directed CDA officials to contact senators and solve their issues with immediate effect.

    He also reminded CDA that directions to make a financial plan about repair and maintenance work of the lodges were given but were not implemented.

    Regarding budget, the committee was informed that Rs319 million were allocated for repair and maintenance work of the lodges whereas the agency had spent Rs203 million so far.

    Senator Samina Saeed, while referring a media report, pointed out that water supply in the Parliament House and Parliament Lodges was substandard.

    She pleaded the Senate deputy chairman to direct CDA to ensure purified water supply and ensure the delivery of electricity bills to parliamentarians at least seven days ahead of the due date.

  • Australian journalist hosts ‘world’s biggest tea party’ in Abhinandan’s memory

    Australian journalist hosts ‘world’s biggest tea party’ in Abhinandan’s memory

    Australian cricket journalist Dennis Freedman, who is known for his love for Pakistan and trolling India over Twitter, has hosted “world’s biggest tea party” to mark the first anniversary of Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s capture following an aerial dog fight in 2019.

    The nation on Thursday honoured the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), which countered Indian strikes exactly a year ago in response to India’s violation of Pakistan airspace during the post-Pulwama stand-off.

    Ahead of the celebrations, a group of local and foreign media journalists visited for the first time, the area in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) where the air force downed an Indian aircraft near the Line of Control (LoC) last year.

    On February 27 last year, warplanes from both sides had engaged in a dogfight along the LoC in Kashmir. The PAF had downed an Indian aircraft and arrested Abhinandan. But a day later, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had announced his release as a goodwill gesture.

    With a viral video showing Abhinandan praising officers of the Pakistan Army for being “professional and thorough gentlemen” while having “fantastic” tea served to him under their custody, the words ‘tea’ and ‘fantastic’ repeatedly made headlines for their meanings being changed for good in Pakistan.

    The catchphrase also became the top trend on social media as Pakistan celebrated the first anniversary of the series of events from last year on Thursday, and Dennis, who is in the country to cover the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), tweeted a video saying he was hosting the “world’s biggest tea party”.

    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1232749713016991746

    He said that people did not need to be in Pakistan with him to join the party, urging people to share their images and videos enjoying tea.

    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1232966646240874496

    Here’s how Twitterati responded:

    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1232911848787382272

    The government had earlier this month also decided to celebrate February 27 as “Surprise Day” to commemorate Operation Swift Retort against the IAF.

  • How to protect yourself from coronavirus at office

    How to protect yourself from coronavirus at office

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s Department of Relief, Rehabilitation & Settlement has released a list of directives for its employees to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in shared workspaces.

    Here are the measures you can take to ensure a healthy environment for all employees:

    • Employees must be politely directed against hugging and shaking hands or coming into any needless physical contact with each other. This can help prevent the virus from being transferred to healthy employees from employees who may already have the virus but are not showing its symptoms.
    • Employees must wash their hands at least three to four times a day with soap or an alcohol-based sanitizer
    • All towels in toilets should be changed frequently or replaced with disposable towels that can be trashed after first use.
    • Any tissues, once used, should be disposed of immediately in a trash bin.
    • Biometric attendance to be stopped with immediate effect. This can help prevent the virus from being transferred to healthy employees from a sick individual via biometric machines.
    • Any unnecessary contact with side railings and doors should be avoided.  Healthy employees can pick up the virus by touching surfaces that a sick employee has also touched.
    • Likewise, appropriate safety precautions must be taken when coming in contact with office machinery such as telephones, fax machines and computers.
    • In case of cough and flu, the employee must seek medical attention on first priority.
    • A mask should be worn by any person showing symptoms of cough and flu. This is to prevent the virus from spreading in the environment through coughing and sneezing.
    • Face-masks should be discarded after one day of use.
  • Pakistan, US trade negotiation failed.

    Pakistan, US trade negotiation failed.

    Despite United States (US) Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’s visit to Islamabad, Pakistan and the US have failed to achieve ‘breakthrough’ for promoting trade ties between the two countries, Geo reported.

    “This high-level visit proved a non-starter because the US did not make any firm commitments on three demands put forth by the Pakistani side on the negotiating table. It can be termed just a posturing visit as a balancing act in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s visit to arch-rival India,” the report said.

    It quoted top officials as noting that the Pakistani side put forward three demands before the US delegation. Pakistan seeks a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but the US side replied that “they would look into it” and did not make a commitment.

    The delegation also disapproved Pakistan’s proposition to expand GSP Plus list for providing concession on export items from the US side, so it can once again become a non-starting area.

    Furthermore, the Pakistani side demanded moving towards Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). However, the US authorities responded that they would see how things could proceed in future.

    Pakistani officials still seemed confident to believe that the US would respond positively on TIFA front in the coming future, but the optimism seems groundless because no commitments have been made.

    Keeping in view experience of the past many years, there have been several occasions when the US agreed to hold talks on TIFA and the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), but it always proved a futile exercise after holding sessions for several years.

  • Navin Waqar reveals the secrets behind her fitness

    Navin Waqar reveals the secrets behind her fitness

    Ever since Navin Waqar came in Humsafar, her toned and fit body set fitness goals. In a recent social media post, the actor elaborated on how she maintains a healthy fitness regime.

    Navin shared how she tries to maintain a balanced diet and get in as much exercise as possible to burn those extra calories.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8_HSMlhU4p/

    Do you think Navin’s fitness regime is easy?

  • Coronavirus in Pakistan: Prices of face masks increase by 900%

    Coronavirus in Pakistan: Prices of face masks increase by 900%

    With a couple of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — surfacing in the country, the prices of face or medical masks have increased by staggering 900% as local pharmacies also run out of what is said to provide some protection from the virus.

    While some experts say it provides modest protection against the virus that is new to science, others doubt the effectiveness of such masks for stopping COVID-19 transmission. United States (US) health officials say the virus spreads mostly between people who are in close contact with each other, and from respiratory droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

    China is the world’s largest producer of the said masks, with a reported daily capacity of 20 million pieces, but by the estimate of its manufacturers, domestic demand alone is around 50 to 60 million per day. Amid the surge in demand, medical store owners are citing a shortage of the masks as the reason behind the increase in its price from Rs100 for a box to Rs1,000 for the same in markets across Pakistan.

    CORONAVIRUS IN PAKISTAN:

    First two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan were reported on Wednesday night, one of which was in the provincial capital of the country’s southeastern province of Sindh, and the other in the federal capital.

    While details of the case in Islamabad have not yet been made public, the first reported case is that of a 22-year-old man who, according to government sources, reached Pakistan from Iran by air and has a history of travel to Tehran “from where he acquired the virus”.

    It was also confirmed by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza.

    “I can confirm first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan. Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols and both of them are stable. No need to panic, things are under control,” he tweeted.

  • Feroze Khan says TikTok is ‘cancer’

    Actor Feroze Khan took to Twitter to lash out at popular social media app TikTok. The actor posted the screenshot of the two controversial TikTok videos and wrote, “Tik Tok is cancer. I repeat, cancer !”

    Khan talked about the video that was recorded at Quaid e Azam mausoleum that shows a girl in Hijab dancing in front of the mausoleum. Khan also referenced another TikTok video that was recorded at a graveyard.

     Fans of the actor agreed with him on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/imkakarotto119/status/1232693623080267779?s=20

    The Mazar-e-Quaid’s administration on Tuesday decided to approach the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for the removal of the viral video.

    Many people had protested after watching the TikTok video of the girl dressed in white clothes dancing in the vicinity of the shrine. They said that the incident has tarnished the sanctity of the historic place.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8_ffoQHV0Z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • SPONSORED: Realme unveils ‘Quad Camera BatteryKing 5i’, ‘Triple Camera Game Monster C3’

    SPONSORED: Realme unveils ‘Quad Camera BatteryKing 5i’, ‘Triple Camera Game Monster C3’

    Realme – the fastest growing smartphone brand in Pakistan that resonates with the young generation – has unveiled two new devices, Realme 5i and C3, in its maiden campus launch for youngsters in Pakistan.

    The brand hosted a musical concert with Amanat Ali along with other celebrities, including Aiman Khan, Hina Altaf, Zubab Rana and Ramsha Khan, who were invited as brand promoters for the latest devices.

    Youth’s Favorite and Pakistan’s top YouTubers like Shahveer Jaffry, Raza Samo, Video wali sarkar, connect Kashan and RHS – Rana Hamza Saif were also part of the launch event.

    On February 25, within the framework of the Realme campus launch, hundreds of youngsters and media representatives participated in Realme product experience activities. The experience space was divided into different areas such as the space for taking photos with Realme smartphones, IoT products wall and a collection of photos shot on Realme phones to help students to understand the key specifications of the newly-launched devices.

    This first smartphone lineup of the year, the Realme 5i and Realme C3, has been launched in the company’s first-ever campus launch event to engage with youngsters and help them experience the device first hand.

    realme C3

    The Realme 5i is available in one variant – 4GB RAM + 64GB storage priced at PKR 24,999 available for sale since February 26 –, while Realme C3 with 3GB RAM + 32GB storage — priced at PKR 20,999 — will be available for sale from February 29.

    realme 5i

    Realme, which provides high-quality products for the youth of the country, has always been closely connected with its young fans. The brand is known to offer a wide range of sophisticated and advanced products for the youth at the best price-points.

    Over a short time-span, Realme has established an unbreakable bond with its users, making them the true brand ambassadors. Realme is recognised as the 7th largest smartphone brand globally. Besides a high value for money, Realme’s availability across all tiers of the smartphone market ensures great visibility.

  • Kashmir, Kartarpur, Abhinandan, Humayun Saeed: ‘Ehd e Wafa’s finale will have it all

    Kashmir, Kartarpur, Abhinandan, Humayun Saeed: ‘Ehd e Wafa’s finale will have it all

    Ehd e Wafa’s last episode is coming to cinemas on March 14 and it appears that audiences will be in for a thrilling ride. At least, that’s what the trailer promises.

    To celebrate ‘Surprise Day’ – the day Abhinandan’s plane was shot down in Pakistani airspace – Momina Duraid Films released a trailer for the last episode of the super hit drama serial.

    The two-minute teaser doesn’t give away much but introduces two new characters in the drama – Major Humayun and Indian Airforce’s Wing Commander Abhinandan. It is likely that the episode will shed light on the retaliatory attack by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) after India’s Balakot airstrike.

    Apart from that, there is also a glimpse of the Kartarpur Corridor which marked a monumental moment in Pakistan’s history and action on the Line of Control.

    The teaser ends with an injured Captain Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) trudging through the trees.

    Directed by Saifee Hassan and written by Mustafa Afridi, Ehd-e-Wafa is centered around the SSG, short for Secret ‘S’ Gang, consisting of Shehryar (Ahmed Ali Akbar), Shariq (Wahaj Ali), Saad (Ahad Raza Mir) and Shahzain (Osman Khalid Butt). The series won the hearts of the audiences because of its heartwarming storyline and great performances by the ensemble cast which also includes Alizeh Shah, Hajra Yamin, Vaneezah Ahmed, Zara Noor Abbas, Faraz Yahya, Syed Muhammad Ahmed and Adnan Samad Khan (Gulzar) among others.

    Read more – ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ to release in cinemas one day before TV

    Watch the trailer here: