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Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
CJI to inaugurate Preamble Park, perform ground breaking for new NU School of Law on June 28
1 2 Nagpur: Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai will inaugurate the historic world-class multi-crore Preamble Park at Nagpur University's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar School of Law on Amravati Road on June 28. The CJI will also perform the ground-breaking ceremony of a new iconic multi-storeyed building for the School of Law. The CJI will arrive for his three-day visit to Nagpur on June 27. This is his first visit after taking oath of the highest judicial office. On the first day of his tour, the District Bar Association (DBA) will felicitate the CJI, and on June 28, the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) will honour him. CJI Gavai will formally inaugurate the administrative building of MNLU at Waranga at 10.30am on June 29. The Rs10-crore first-of-its-kind Preamble Park consists of replicas of the Supreme Court and Parliament, along with a 7.5 ft statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar, an amphitheatre, murals, and an aesthetic gate, which took several years to complete. The country's first Samvidhan Park or Constitution Preamble Park was planned on the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar in 2016, and bhoomipuja was performed by then guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on the occasion of Constitution Day in 2019. Lack of funds, permissions, and coordination between multiple govt agencies and NU officials delayed the project over the years. The social welfare department funded around Rs2 crore, while social worker Girish Gandhi, former mayor Anil Sole, and former MP Ajay Sancheti, Prakash Gajibhiye contributed Rs5 lakh each for the project. NU also paid Rs2 crore. School of Law director Ravishankar Mor told TOI that the CJI would be inaugurating the Preamble Park as well as laying the foundation of a new iconic building at 11am on June 28. The transformation of the historic college, earlier known as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Law College, is part of its centenary year celebration. The college has a legacy of stalwarts including former CJI Sharad Bobde, PV Narsimha Rao, CM Devendra Fadnavis and several judges and politicians passing out from here. The NU merged its postgraduate law department with the college to disseminate UG to PhD education under one roof, aligning with NEP 2020. Mor said the new building would be unique among all the Schools of Law in the country. The project is estimated to cost Rs200 crore, with a five-storey academic block to come up on the open land behind the existing college building. Special focus has been given to aesthetics, as the new building will be modelled on structures like the RBI, high court, and GPO. It will have two large auditoriums, besides modern curved classrooms equipped with the latest technology. Three-floor basement parking will accommodate 5,000 cars, while the academic block will have five floors. "A litigation complex will be attached to the School of Law on the lines of a medical college with a hospital. Courts and tribunals like grievance cells and consumer forums will run from this complex. Students will get first-hand experience of court functioning and will be trained for litigating as well as the corporate world," said Mor.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Gold prices drop Rs460 in Pakistan
Gold prices in Pakistan decreased on Thursday in line with their fall in the international market. In the local market, gold price per tola reached Rs358,595 after a decline of Rs460 during the day. Meanwhile, 10-gram gold was sold at Rs307,437 after it fell Rs394, according to the rates shared by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA). On Wednesday, gold price per tola reached Rs383,055 after a decline of Rs2,245 during the day. The international rate of gold also decreased on Thursday. The rate was at $3,372 per ounce (with a premium of $20), a decrease of $6, as per APGJSA. Meanwhile, silver price per tola decreased by Rs58 to reach Rs3,820.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Budget: Sindh Assembly witnesses another day of heated debate
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Wednesday witnessed the third consecutive day of vigorous debate on the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, with opposition members sharply criticising the PPP-led government's performance while praising the fiscal direction taken by Punjab under Maryam Nawaz. A total of 29 lawmakers contributed to the debate, bringing the cumulative number of speakers over the last three days to 84. More members are expected to participate in the debate on Thursday. The session was chaired by Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed. While treasury benches hailed the budget as development-oriented and people-centric, opposition members lambasted it as disconnected from public realities—particularly in urban Sindh. Opening the day's speeches, Provincial Minister for Culture Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah outlined achievements under his portfolio, including initiatives to develop Gorakh Hill into a family-friendly tourist spot and efforts to digitize Bhitaipedia and the Sindhi language. He proposed setting up a residential colony for writers and poets. Noting budgetary restrictions, he lamented that the tourism department is barred from purchasing vehicles, whereas other countries levy fewer duties on such imports. The Gorakh Hill Authority, he said, receives an annual allocation of Rs250 million. MQM's Farhan Ansari voiced deep frustration over the budget's failure to address Karachi's needs. 'There is no electricity or water in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Only hydrants are functional,' he said, accusing the government of ignoring basic urban infrastructure while breaking promises of road carpeting and streetlights. PTI's Sajjad Ali Soomro sharply criticised Sindh's education record. 'Six million children remain out of school despite PPP spending Rs2 trillion on education. Farmers are committing suicide while ministers grow richer,' he added, also highlighting the lawlessness in riverine areas. MQM's Abdul Basit criticised the government for failing to implement the senior citizen card program. 'Even if this budget were in dollars, it wouldn't change Sindh's condition,' he quipped. PPP's Qasim Siraj Soomro countered opposition criticism by asserting that the budget reflects genuine efforts to uplift the province. He lauded the PPP's performance for its growing political strength and cited improvements in Nagarparkar schools and 56 dams in Thar; though he admitted many RO plants remain in disrepair. MPA Adil Altaf Unar expressed gratitude for road projects in his constituency and praised party leadership for a balanced fiscal strategy. PPP's Liaquat Ali Askani congratulated Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the finance team, revealing that nine major schemes have been earmarked for Karachi. He stressed the need for setting up a trauma centre in Baldia Town. Minister for Social Welfare Tarique Ali Talpur highlighted ongoing collaboration with NGOs like HANDS and Oxfam on senior citizen initiatives and urged the federal government to withdraw the 18% tax on solar panels. Riaz Hussain Shah Sheerazi, Minister for Auqaf and Zakat, reported that 122,000 beneficiaries had been registered under the Zakat program, with funds to be managed via Islamic banks. He also announced new schemes for the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. PPP's Malik Sikander Khan said 52 primary schools in Thana Bula Khan remain closed due to a shortage of teachers. He generously offered 20 acres of personal land for a playground and called for water supply schemes in the region. MQM's Qurat Ul Ain Khan called the budget anti-people and accused the government of marginalising her party. 'Landhi Medical College is in the budget books every year but never built. Load-shedding and inflation are choking Karachi,' she said. Muhammad Usman of MQM criticised the inequitable tax distribution. 'For tax collection, Karachi is part of Sindh, but when it comes to basic needs like water, we're told to ask the federal government,' he remarked, going as far as to suggest handing Karachi over to the Centre. Arsalan Perwaiz said his constituency PS-98 lacks potable water, roads, and ambulances. He alleged corruption in housing societies and bemoaned zero allocation for his area in the budget. PTI's Sajid Hussain focused on Karachi's chronic problems. 'There's been no clean drinking water for 20 years, drugs are sold openly, and children are out of school. The Landhi Medical Hospital has no electricity. This is a criminal negligence,' he said. MQM's Muhammad Aamir Siddiqui said most of the Rs20 billion worth of schemes benefit Malir, ignoring areas like Johar, PIB, and Central. He criticised low funding for the Red Line BRT. MQM's Muhammad Maaz Mehboob hailed Punjab's development and questioned whether Karachi youth would need to migrate there to build skills. 'Even the IT budget here is less than the forest department's,' he lamented. 'No wonder people say Sindh needs a CM like Maryam Nawaz.' Kiran Masood of MQM paid tribute to former leaders and accused the PPP of arresting female MQM workers. 'You have your mayor— ask him to perform. Red Line BRT and Pink Taxi won't matter without roads,' she said, demanding power devolution to the districts. MQM's Sikandar Khatoon pointed to the lack of public transport in Shah Faisal. 'Only one bus route, People's Bus R-2, serves the area. That's not enough,' she said. PTI's Bilal Hussain Khan Jadoon accused local bodies of corruption and noted that despite his constituency paying high taxes, it still lacks basic utilities like gas and water. PPP's Abdul Razaq Raja sparked uproar from opposition benches but lightened the atmosphere by reciting a poem in Sindhi at the Chief Minister's request. PPP's Rana Hamir Singh expressed gratitude for a Rs50 million project in his constituency while also flagging other local issues. PPP's Muhammad Yousuf called for turning the boys' college in Konkar into a girls' college in the evening shift due to the lack of a dedicated girls' college in Gadap. PPP's Bahadur Khan Dahri opened with a poem that irked PTI lawmakers, though Minister Sharjeel Memon quickly defused the tension. As the debate concluded, the session was adjourned until 10 am on Thursday, with more fiery speeches expected as budget deliberations continue. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
AJK govt unveils Rs310.2bn ‘tax-free' budget
MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday unveiled the annual budget with a record outlay of Rs310.2 billion, imposing no new tax. AJK Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan presented the tax-free budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the Legislative Assembly with a development expenditure of Rs49 billion. He also announced a 10 percent increase in the salaries of government employees and seven percent increase in pensions. Delivering his budget speech in the AJK Assembly in Muzaffarabad, the finance minister said the total estimated budget size for the upcoming fiscal year is set at Rs310.2 billion, with an increase of Rs8.62 billion compared to the previous year. Majid Khan said the development and non-development budget were jointly fixed at Rs310.2 billion, with non-development expenditures estimated at Rs261 billion and development expenditures at Rs49 billion. He added that Rs2 billion have been allocated for the introduction of a health card in the upcoming fiscal year, while Rs240 million have been earmarked under the education package for school upgrades and the establishment of new institutions. To address the shortage of teachers in educational institutions, Rs60 million have been allocated, and biometric attendance systems have been implemented across all departments.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Bank lending to farmers stays far behind target
Banks have mostly utilised deposits for safe lending to the government, instead of extending financing to the private sector to support business activities. PHOTO: file Listen to article Banks have failed to achieve the target for extending credit to farmers as they have been able to disburse only 54.3% in fiscal year 2024-25. During the year 2023-24 (Jul-Feb), five major commercial banks had a lending target of Rs1,147 million, but they provided only Rs753.9 million, or 65.7%. Total disbursement of agricultural credit remained at 63.8% in FY24 and 54.3% in FY25. For fiscal 2025-26, the lending target has been set at Rs2,599.9 million, revealed the Annual Plan 2025-26. The government had allocated funds under the FY25 Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for food and agriculture-related schemes in different divisions, with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research getting the highest allocation of Rs23,928 million for 26 projects (18 ongoing and eight new) out of a total cost of Rs201,650 million. In FY25, the production of major crops was affected negatively as compared to the previous fiscal year. Different factors contributed to the dismal performance, especially changes in weather patterns, low wheat prices, delayed payments to sugarcane growers and sluggish disbursement of agricultural credit for buying inputs. In the outgoing fiscal year 2024-25, the production of gram and lentil fell significantly short of targets due to the contraction in cultivation areas. Potato and onion crops, however, performed strongly, surpassing both area and production targets. Mash production showed improvement while tomato harvest was a bit short of the goal. Overall, the data reflects strong growth trends in vegetable crops while pulse production remained a challenge due to the limited area under plantations along with other issues. Urea output had been on a consistent decline over past years and, therefore, the target for FY26 has been set at a moderate level. Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser offtake increased slightly in FY25 to 901,000 tons while SOP/MOP fertilisers surpassed the target. Keeping in view the overall position, the total offtake in FY26 is expected to remain around 4.077 million tons. Wheat seed requirement in FY26 is estimated at 1,165,500m tons. Cottonseed availability in FY24 was 25,424.6m tons. However, for 2024-25, the requirement was 54,672m tons, against which the availability was quite low. Paddy seed availability surpassed the requirement during FY25, however, maize faced a significant shortfall and it is expected that the situation will persist in future as well In Kharif sowing season, water availability for irrigation during FY25 remained adequate when compared with a year earlier. Keeping in view the trend, the target has been set at 63.8 million acre feet (MAF) for the upcoming year. In Rabi season, water availability decreased from 31.7 MAF in FY24 to 30.6 MAF in FY25. However, it is expected that the availability may increase to 31.8 MAF in FY26. Overall, water availability for irrigation was adequate during both seasons. Meat production remained a bit lower at 5.967 million tons during 2024-25 as compared to the target of 6.138 million tons, with almost steady growth in mutton and poultry output. Milk production rose during 2024-25 as compared to a year earlier. Similar improvements were found in the case of eggs, hides, skins and wool. Owing to the steady improvement, targets for all these components have been set a bit higher for 2025-26. In the background of ongoing initiatives and the prime focus of the Ministry of National Food Security on sub-sectors, it is anticipated that programmes for 2025-26 will involve supporting agricultural productivity through technology, enhancing livestock development and promoting research and innovation. Salient development initiatives will commence in the coming year alongside already running ones by the Ministry of National Food Security. The initiatives include the establishment of seed certification laboratories in Khuzdar, Turbat and Loralai and the National Oilseed Enhancement Programme.
