• Ahsan Iqbal proposes incentives under NFC for provinces managing population growth • Projections say population can reach 389.9 million by 2050 even under a slow-decline scenario ISLAMABAD: Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on May 12 warned that unchecked population growth could become a “social bomb” and a major obstacle to Pakistan’s economic progress, urging urgent reforms to address the rising demographic pressure. He cautioned that if current trends continue, Pakistan could end
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: Health authorities on Wednesday formally launched the Prime Minister’s National Programme for the Elimination of Hepatitis C from the Islamabad Capital Territory, aiming to screen 1.6 million people in the federal capital within six months and eventually test more than 164 million people across the country in phases as part of an ambitious drive to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in
On May 11, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that that custody of a child cannot be granted to the grandmother or paternal aunt solely on the basis of the mother’s second marriage. The ruling came in connection with a case regarding the custody of a nine-year-old child. Custody had initially been granted to the mother, after the father’s death, but this was challenged by the child’s paternal aunt, grandmother and uncle. During the hearing,
PESHAWAR: Health department has sought more funds from government to provide cochlear implants to about 1,000 deaf and dumb children under Sehat Card Plus scheme. Officials at Health Secretariat told Dawn that government was providing Rs4 billion every month for free treatment of patients under Sehat Card Plus scheme that was given to empanelled hospitals by State Life Insurance Corporation, the executor of the cashless treatment programme. “About Rs300 million goes to free transplants, including Rs150
ISLAMABAD: The regulatory authority for private schools in the capital on May 13 took notice of the practice of heavy school bags carried by children and announced a ‘Lighter School Bags Policy’ for all private schools in the capital. On the other hand, the federal government separately expressed concern over a controversial O-level book and directed the removal of its copies from bookshops. According to sources, a meeting was held in Islamabad, which was
LAHORE: One thousand playfields will be built in schools of Punjab besides awarding monthly scholarships to 1,000 talented children of inter-school competitions. It was decided at a meeting held between Punjab Sports Minister Faisal Ayub with Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat here on Wednesday. It was also decided that the ‘Khiltey School” meetings will be held in the first week of every month. The meeting also decided to start a grassroots talent hunt programme
TAXILA: Speakers at an awareness seminar in Attock on May 11 said the Punjab government was taking initiatives to modernise the education sector by introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital learning and advanced teaching technologies across the province. The seminar, organised by Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence, brought together students, parents, teachers and education stakeholders from different areas of the district. Addressing the gathering, participants were informed that the Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence project
LAKKI MARWAT: Elders of Mela Mandrakhel have expressed their deep concern over the lack of higher secondary level education facilities and urged the provincial government to set up a higher secondary school for girls in the area. Talking to journalists here on Saturday, they said that the rural locality lacked proper educational facilities for girls, forcing them to travel to Lakki city on a daily basis to get higher secondary education. They said that
DERA GHAZI KHAN: Police have failed to arrest the owner of the private school whose roof caved in, resulting in the death of four schoolchildren and injuries to 20 others, including 16 children. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Azhar Akram had issued orders to the district police officer to ensure the immediate arrest of Little Scholars School owner Sheikh Akram. Police claim that special police teams were formed to arrest the principal and raids
KARACHI: Describing misinformation and rumours as the biggest challenge in the fight for polio eradication, experts on Friday said that Karachi remained a high-risk zone due to persistent virus circulation and population movement. They were speaking at a media briefing on the upcoming Polio Booster Dose Campaign organised at the Karachi Press Club. The attendees included members of the Sindh Polio Eradication Programme, the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre core team and health experts. The
DERA GHAZI KHAN: The parents of the deceased minor students have demanded that the case be registered based on their own complaint, not on the one filed by a government official of the municipal corporation. They believe that registering the case on the complaint of a municipal official is an attempt to protect the responsible officers from accountability. They staged a sit-in to press for their demands. Among the victims was Hania, a child
BAHAWALPUR: Fateh Shah police in Vehari district arrested a man on charge of raping his three minor daughters at Chak 41/KB, Burewala, on May 8. District Police PRO Adnan Tariq told Dawn by cell phone that the suspect was arrested after registration of an FIR on the complaint of his wife on May 5. She alleged that her husband had been raping their three daughters who were 14, 11 and 9 years old for