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Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
CM inaugurates 125 community centres for sustainable livelihood in Meghalaya
Shillong: Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurated 125 community centres across Garo Hills on Tuesday, funded under the Meghalaya Livelihood and Forest Ecosystem Management Project (MegLIFE). The centres were virtually inaugurated from Dobakol Awemong in Baghmara C&RD block of South Garo Hills district, where the CM was present for the event. Built at a cost of Rs 24 lakh each — Rs 13 lakh from the project and Rs 11 lakh from the state — the community centres aim to provide spaces for various community-led activities, including income-generating initiatives. "The MegLIFE project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), focuses on community-based forest management and livelihood enhancement in 500 villages across 12 districts of Meghalaya. Alongside constructing these centres, the project has supported several income-generating activities such as nurseries, plantations, minor irrigation check dams, dug-out ponds, plastic tanks, and RCC water storage tanks," an official statement said. IVCS and SHGs have been integral to the initiative, receiving direct benefits and playing key roles in its execution. Speaking at the event, the CM emphasised the project's core objectives — restoring degraded forests, strengthening natural resource management, and improving rural livelihoods. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jung, geflüchtet, voller Hoffnung Schweizerische Flüchlingshilfe Weiterlesen Undo "This project empowers communities to take ownership of forest, land, and water resources," he said. "We aim to foster a community-driven approach to sustainable livelihoods. Through MegLIFE, we are instilling environmental consciousness while ensuring sustained income through various activities," the CM added. The project targets the completion of 452 community centres across Meghalaya. Thanking JICA for its support, Sangma said an additional 150-plus centres would soon be completed in the Garo Hills region. Highlighting the role of these community hubs in fostering development and livelihood initiatives, the chief minister reiterated the project's focus on community empowerment and sustainability.
Muscat Daily
3 days ago
- General
- Muscat Daily
Oman marks global desertification day with push for greener future
Muscat – Oman, represented by the Environment Authority (EA), joined the global community in observing the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on June 17. This year's theme, 'Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities', underscores the vital link between healthy ecosystems and sustainable development. Oman's participation reflects its continued commitment to international efforts aimed at raising awareness about the pressing challenges of desertification and drought. It also reinforces national priorities focused on encouraging sustainable environmental practices, supporting conservation policies, and enhancing global cooperation to protect natural resources. The observance highlights the role of ecosystem restoration in strengthening food and water security, generating employment, enabling climate adaptation, and building resilient, green economies. As part of its broader environmental strategy, the Environment Authority is leading several key initiatives and projects designed to promote sustainability, expand green spaces, and conserve biodiversity across the country. Among the most notable is the national initiative for planting 10mn trees, launched in January 2020, which aims to restore degraded lands and combat desertification through large-scale afforestation. Another major effort is the National Tree Cover Survey Project, which utilises remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and artificial intelligence to establish a comprehensive, accurate database of tree coverage across the sultanate. Oman is also advancing mangrove reforestation projects, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. This ambitious initiative targets the planting of one million mangrove seedlings to enhance marine biodiversity, increase carbon absorption, and promote ecotourism. Mangrove forests currently span over 1,030 hectares along Oman's coastlines. Additionally, the authority regularly updates the National Plan to Combat Desertification every ten years, in cooperation with the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development. Oman also actively engages in international forums, including the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, where it shares its national experiences and awareness campaigns.
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Punjab's debt stock rises Rs25bn YoY
LAHORE: The Punjab government's total debt stock has increased by Rs 25 billion, year-on-year increase of 1.5 percent, during the current fiscal year (FY). According to the Punjab Budget 2025-26 documents released on Monday, at the end of June 2025, Punjab's debt stock stood at Rs 1,710 billion, out of which Rs 1,709 billion was from external lenders, while Rs 1.29 billion was from domestic sources. Collectively, these loans represent 2.7 percent of Punjab's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Moreover, Punjab's total debt stock surged from Rs 1,685 billion (reported in June 2024) to Rs 1,710 billion (reported in June 2025) in 12 months. However, the domestic loans showed a decline from Rs 1.7 billion (reported in June 2024) to Rs 1.29 billion, a decrease of 22.5 percent. In contrast, external loans witnessed a gain from Rs 1,683 billion (reported in June 2024) to Rs 1,709 billion (reported in June 2025); in dollars, it amounts to US $6.10 billion. The government's external debt primarily consists of concessional, long-term loans in foreign currency, acquired from various multilateral creditors like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and International Fund for Agricultural Development. Additionally, it includes loans from bilateral creditors such as China, Japan, and France. These funds are borrowed by the federal government and then channelled to the Punjab government. This debt can be categorised broadly into project loans, which are intended for long-term public infrastructure investments and programme loans, which provide medium-term budgetary support and are often tied to specific expenditure and/or policy reforms. The report highlighted that the government's external debt is derived mainly from two key sources: USD 4.81 billion from multilateral creditors, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as other sources; and US $1.29 billion from bilateral creditors, including China and other sources. These figures consist of the US dollar equivalent value of the outstanding debt (which is denominated in various currencies) at the end of the current Financial Year. The external debt was denominated mainly in US dollars (68 percent), followed by Special Drawing Rights (23 percent), Japanese Yen (5 percent) and other currencies (4 percent). As per the report, the agriculture, irrigation and livestock sector remained the major recipient of government borrowing, as its share constitutes 24 percent of the total outstanding followed by transport and communication 20 percent, education 19 percent, urban and community development at 17 percent, governance 11 percent, health 5 percent, energy 2 percent, tourism 1 percent, and industries and infrastructure 1 percent. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Mainichi
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Syria-born Osaka man runs online Arabic coffee shop that helps homeland's post-war recovery
OSAKA -- Arabic coffee enjoyed in many Arab countries has flavors distinct from typical coffee consumed in Japan, and one Syrian-born man is operating a store from this west Japan city that allows people to enjoy the blends while contributing to help the people of his homeland. It is characterized in that finely ground coffee beans and cardamom spices are boiled and imbibed in a small cup about the size of a sake cup. According to 31-year-old Baraa Fuji, the fresh aroma and unique flavor are "a taste of hometown memories." After 13 years of civil war, the Assad dictatorship ruling over Syria came to an end last December. Seeing that recovery will take time, Fuji decided to work to support the country through that familiar taste. Syria's civil war was called the worst humanitarian crisis of this century. Beginning in March 2011 with the Arab Spring democratic uprisings in the Middle East, the Assad regime at the time thoroughly suppressed the civilian population by force. Later, the rise of extremist organizations and the interests of major powers led the conflict into a quagmire. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees agency, while there has been a movement to return to the country since the 2024 fall of the regime, about 4.5 million people remain in refuge outside its borders. Fuji, who was born in the Syrian capital of Damascus, first came to live in Japan in 2017. He entered grad school at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, to pursue an MBA. The opportunity to do so came when he applied for a program offered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to accept Syrians who had been deprived of opportunities to study due to the war as international students. After graduating, he started working for a company in the city of Osaka that handles e-commerce for overseas markets. He became independent earlier this year, and is now engaged in digital marketing as a sole proprietor. While he was in graduate school, his wife Iman, 32, came over from Syria to join him, and their kids Adam, 6, and Basema, 4, were born in Japan. This spring, the boy and girl entered elementary school and kindergarten, respectively. Thinking, "I want to live as a Japanese person, not as a foreigner," Fuji acquired Japanese citizenship last November. The surname he adopted is taken from Mount Fuji, which he described as "the image of Japan that I have known for a long time." Syria had been under dictatorship for over half a century, led by two generations of oppressive rulers. Fuji said of the time he found out on Facebook that the regime had suddenly been toppled, "I was surprised because there had been a civil war for a long time. But I was happy anyway." Amid that, he opened the online store specializing in Syrian products called Qafua Shop this March. Qafua is Arabic for "coffee." And as the name implies, the store mainly handles Arabic coffee like those he used to drink daily in his hometown. Because the coffee beans are ground only after being ordered, the shop says its offerings are fresher than those sold in stores regularly. For every gram of coffee sold, one yen is donated to the Molham Volunteering Team, a humanitarian aid nongovernmental organization established by Syrians, and used to support medical care, daily life and education among other needs. Fuji expressed his hopes, saying, "Many have lost their livelihoods due to the civil war, and it is difficult to rebuild Syria alone. Through coffee, we can support the futures of people living in a faraway place." (Japanese original by Rei Kubo, Osaka Photo and Video Department)
Hans India
7 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
DPI4PP Innovation Challenge 2025 Opens: Calling Global Innovators to Leverage Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for People and Planet!
The Digital Public Infrastructure for People and Planet (DPI4PP) Innovation Challenge 2025 officially opens for applications. The challenge is hosted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Co-Develop, Gates Foundation, Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI), and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in partnership with the COP30 Presidency. This initiative seeks innovative DPI-based solutions across various sectors, ranging from energy transition and disaster resilience to sustainable agriculture and carbon markets. Yushi Nagano – Head of JICA Dx Lab says 'JICA is proud to co-host an initiative that brings together climate innovation and digital public infrastructure with a strong focus on real-world implementation. This challenge is about bridging vision with action.' DPI refers to foundational systems such as digital identity, interoperable payments, open data sharing and data exchange platforms, among others. Through this challenge, innovators worldwide can leverage DPI and infrastructure thinking to create inclusive, scalable, and impactful solutions that benefit communities globally, particularly low-income and climate-vulnerable populations. Saibal Chakraborty – Managing Director and Senior Partner, BCG 'At BCG, we believe the most urgent global problems need the boldest ideas—supported by the right platforms, partners, and resources. As a pioneer of DPI thinking, we are particularly excited to see the innovations that come out of India. This challenge is about DPI-powered climate innovation and bringing the innovators and the enablers together to turn potential into action.' The challenge welcomes entries from a range of innovators, including research institutions, startups, social enterprises, established companies, and non-profit organizations from India. Participants are encouraged to propose new concepts or enhance existing solutions using digital public infrastructure. This challenge is unique in three ways: It is the world's first innovation challenge focused specifically on the intersection of people, planet and DPI. It is not a one-off competition, but part of a broader journey aimed at launching high-impact, scalable, and deployable solutions. It is anchored by global DPI leaders—including technical experts, governments, and development agencies— and the climate community and is held in partnership with the COP30 Presidency. What is in this challenge for you? Top finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions at COP30 in Brazil and engage directly with global leaders. Be part of the broader People, Planet and DPI community built through this challenge. Receive up to $100,000 in grant funding will be awarded to finalists to support the development and field testing of their solutions. Receive tailored mentorship from experts, helping deepen their understanding of DPI, Digital Public Goods (DPGs), and climate intersections, while sharpening the technical, strategic, and impact dimensions of their solutions. Benefit from opportunities to scale their solutions through targeted connections with potential investors and strategic ecosystem partners. Winners can receive ongoing implementation support, strategic guidance, and valuable networking opportunities at high-profile global events. Registrations close on June 27th, 2025. For more details, visit
