Pak govt launches its own mineral water to cut costs
Islamabad: Pakistan has launched its own mineral water to cut costs as part of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governments austerity drive, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said.
The Pakistan Council of Research and Water Resources (PCRWR) has prepared a 500 ml water bottle named “Safe Drinking Water”, the minister said in a statement on Saturday.
In the first phase, mineral water bottles will first be used at the Prime Minister’s Office, President House and Parliament House after which it will be made available to the general public, he added.
“We have rolled out these water bottles for Re 1 per litre and it is a quality drinking water,” the Minister separately told The Express Tribune.
He said the PCRWR has collected water samples from around the country for the survey, adding that the ratio of salts in the water was examined in the survey.
According to the ratio of salts in water samples collected from all tehsils, water plants would be established in these areas with the help of private companies.
Chaudhry told The Express Tribune that these plants would be established with easy installments loans to people so that cheap and safe drinking water is available throughout the country.
New Zealand promises to deliver cancer control agency by Dec
Wellington: The New Zealand government released the Cancer Action Plan for 2019-2029 on Sunday to improve cancer care and outcomes.
“Cancer touches just about every one of us at some stage in our lives. On average, 66 people every day are diagnosed with cancer and they deserve world-class care,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said as Xinhua news agency reported.
“We campaigned on improving cancer care and establishing a national cancer agency because after years of underfunding by the previous government our standard of care is variable and we have work to do to ensure better outcomes for Maori and Pacific people,” she added.
According to the Cancer Action Plan, New Zealand will launch a Cancer Control Agency to ensure consistent standards nationwide, while more medicines for more people will be provided through an immediate funding boost for Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) and faster decision making process.
Health Minister David Clark said the government has listened to calls for strong central leadership and will deliver the promised Cancer Control Agency by December 1.
“An immediate priority will be establishing quality performance indicators for specific cancer types. This will mean we can measure progress towards consistent care across district health boards (DHBs).
“We are also combining the four current regional cancer control networks into a National Network to help remove regional variations in care,” Clark said.
Work on implementing the Cancer Action Plan would begin immediately, but there is an opportunity for the public and health professionals to provide feedback on the plan before it is finalised next year. (IANS)
Pak poet slams Imran Khan’s policies, video goes viral
New Delhi: A new video from Pakistan slamming Prime Minister Imran Khan for his policies, corruption and injustice in the country has gone viral on social media.
Famous Pakistani poet Farhat Abbas Shah is seen criticising Khan for the country’s pathetic situation in an interview to Pakistan’s local news channel, Lahore TV.
Shah uses a poem to describe his feelings and the present situation in the country under Imran’s rule. He says that Imran Khan has totally failed as Prime Minister, as the situation in the country has become terrible.
“Your policies have made us beggar, you don’t deserve to be in power, why did you come? You have no idea, how the citizens of the country are facing poverty, corruption and injustice in your rule. You have failed us,” Shah said in the poem.
Shah also alleged that before elections, Imran had promised that he would free the country from poverty and corruption, but the truth is citizens are forced to beg even during his tenure.
“Imran is the worst Prime Minister of Pakistan,” Shah said.
In the video, he urged the prime minister to come out of his closet and see what is happening on the streets and save the country from poverty and corruption. (ians)