Day: September 27, 2021

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Govt to Close All Public and Private Schools in Lahore on 28 September

Punjab Minister for School Education, Dr. Murad Raas announced on Monday that all public and private schools in Lahore will be closed on Tuesday, 28 September on account of the annual Urs (death anniversary) of Hazrat Data Gunj Baksh (R.A).

“All public and private schools of Lahore to remain closed tomorrow 28th September 2021 for the Annual Urs Mubarak of Hazrat Data Gunj Baksh. This is only for Lahore,” the minister said on Twitter.

He also shared a notification issued in this regard, which says that the decision is applicable for schools in Lahore, including District and Tehsil education offices. The educational institutions in the rest of the districts will remain open as usual, barring the Rawalpindi district where schools are closed due to the processions of Chehlum.

Provincial Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs, Saeedul Hasan Shah inaugurated the three-day celebrations of the 978th annual Urs of Hazrat Ali bin Usman Hajveri popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh on Sunday.

Every year, thousands of devotees from all parts of the country come to celebrate the Urs of Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore. They light candles and pay homage to one of the great Sufi scholars of South Asia.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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PTA Set to Conduct Spectrum Auction in 1800MHz Band in AJ&K and Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is all set to conduct a spectrum auction in the 1800 MHz band in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on Tuesday.

All of the four cellular mobile operators of Pakistan, viz. Jazz, Telenor, Zong, and Ufone, have been notified as qualified bidders and they would participate in the auction process. The auction would start at 10:30 am at PTA headquarters and would continue until all the auction proceedings and processes are completed.

The base price for a 2×1 MHz (1 MHz paired) spectrum in 1800 MHz band is $0.87 million. However, no auction would be conducted in the 2100 MHz band in AJ&K and GB and the spectrum would be awarded to the single bidder i.e., Telenor Pakistan at a base price of $0.87 million.

PTA had invited applications from cellular mobile operators for 16 MHz paired spectrum in the 1800 MHz band, and 30 MHz paired spectrum in the 2100 MHz band for technology-neutral Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) in AJ&K and GB.

The current spectrum auction will provide improved quality of service to the consumers of AJ&K and GB and enhance coverage footprint for Voice and Data services. This will positively impact the tourism sector of AJ&K and GB. Total revenue generated and final auction results will be declared after completion of the auction on September 28, 2021.

PTA is conducting the auction process with the assistance of internationally reputed consultant JV Telconet/ Frontier Economics who was onboard since April 2021 and conducted thorough consultation with the cellular industry and other stakeholders.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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World Tourism Day being observed today

World Tourism Day is being observed on Monday across the world including Pakistan with the aim to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.

World Tourism Day recognizes the importance of the tourism industry across the globe.

The observance of this day is aimed at highlighting the unique role of the tourism sector in preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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Punjab Introduces Chip Designing Tools Project in Universities

The Punjab government has decided to introduce a ‘Chip Designing Tools’ project in all universities of the province under public-private partnership.

In this regard, Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with relevant stakeholders.

On Sunday, the provincial Higher Education Minister, Raja Yasir Humayun, called on Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, to brief him about the project.

The Minister said that the Chip Designing Tools project will not only revolutionize the provincial IT sector but also generate employment opportunities in the province.

CM Punjab directed the minister to ensure every student in all universities across the province benefits from the initiative as access to top-quality higher education is the right of every student.

Besides, the minister informed the CM that 75 new colleges have been established, and 86 more colleges are under development in the province while 590 colleges have been upgraded to Associate Degree institutions and 201 colleges have been upgraded to BS four-year level.

He added that scholarships worth Rs. 834 million have been awarded to deserving students under the Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Scholarship Program.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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NEPRA to Hold Public Hearing for Overbilling by Power Distribution Companies

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority will hold a public hearing for billing and consumer complaints on 30 September.

ProPakistani exposed the overbilling by power distribution companies that exceeded 31 days in a report detailing that consumers had been intentionally fleeced to change the slab of consumption.

The Minister for Energy, Hammad Azhar, had taken notice and ordered an investigation of the matter.

Electricity consumers in Multan, Sukkur, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad were reportedly burdened with overbilling during the last eight months, and consumers in Hyderabad, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad had also fallen victim to it. The bills they had received were for 31-37 days instead of the stipulated 31 days.

National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) officials confirmed in a reply to the Standing Committee on Power that distributions companies often resorted to overbilling cycles of over 30 days, and that the DISCOS had attributed it to the Eid-ul-Azha and Ashura holidays.

Furthermore, the NEPRA had also confirmed a shortage of meter reading staff in the DISCOS.

It is estimated that billions of rupees have been swindled from consumers on account of the extended billing cycle.

The consumers’ slabs are from 1 to 100 units, 101 to 300 units, 301 to 700 units, and so on.

Source: Pro Pakistani

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PTA Set to Conduct Spectrum Auction in 1800MHz Band in AJ&K and Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is all set to conduct a spectrum auction in the 1800 MHz band in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on Tuesday.

All of the four cellular mobile operators of Pakistan, viz. Jazz, Telenor, Zong, and Ufone, have been notified as qualified bidders and they would participate in the auction process. The auction would start at 10:30 am at PTA headquarters and would continue until all the auction proceedings and processes are completed.

The base price for a 2×1 MHz (1 MHz paired) spectrum in 1800 MHz band is $0.87 million. However, no auction would be conducted in the 2100 MHz band in AJ&K and GB and the spectrum would be awarded to the single bidder i.e., Telenor Pakistan at a base price of $0.87 million.

PTA had invited applications from cellular mobile operators for 16 MHz paired spectrum in the 1800 MHz band, and 30 MHz paired spectrum in the 2100 MHz band for technology-neutral Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) in AJ&K and GB.

The current spectrum auction will provide improved quality of service to the consumers of AJ&K and GB and enhance coverage footprint for Voice and Data services. This will positively impact the tourism sector of AJ&K and GB. Total revenue generated and final auction results will be declared after completion of the auction on September 28, 2021.

PTA is conducting the auction process with the assistance of internationally reputed consultant JV Telconet/ Frontier Economics who was onboard since April 2021 and conducted thorough consultation with the cellular industry and other stakeholders.

Source: Pro Pakistani