
Punjab to hire 2,000 agri interns
Launching the Chief Minister Agriculture Internship Programme Phase-II, she said students pursuing BSc Agriculture and BSc (Hons) Agricultural Engineering are eligible for the scheme. They can submit their applications in the offices of deputy director agriculture (extension) in their districts. Agricultural Helpline 0800-17000 is also active for the internship programme.
The chief minister said the quota for agriculture and agricultural engineering graduates in each district had been fixed.
The chief minister said,"The agriculture internship programme not only supports farmers but also provides decent employment to the youth." She added,"Kisan Card Programme in Punjab has set new records of success, while Green Tractor and Tube Well Solarisation Programmes for farmers are going on successfully. Model Agriculture Malls are being introduced to provide all facilities to farmers under one roof."
In a statement, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz paid tribute to PML-N leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and their economic team on the decision of S&P to upgrade Pakistan's credit.
The CM said in her message on World Drowning Prevention Day that recent drowning of several people in floodwaters was extremely painful.
"There is a ban on bathing in canals, lakes and rivers throughout Punjab. A earning, sign system and monitoring are being ensured for effective ban on bathing. Rescue 1122 teams are fully mobilised to save public from drowning."
She appealed to parents to prevent children from bathing in flooded drains, canals and rivers. The chief minister urged the citizens to keep in mind alerts of the meteorological department and administration to avoid going to dangerous areas during the ongoing rainy season.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also paid tribute to Major Ziyad Saleem and Sepoy Nazim Hussain on embracing martyrdom in a terrorist attack in Mastung.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
PM condemns terrorist attack on civilians in Tirah
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned the killing of unarmed civilians and protesters in Bagh Maidan, Wadi Tirah, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, calling it a 'heinous act' and reaffirming his government's resolve to eliminate terrorism. According to initial reports, at least five people were killed and over 17 injured in the attack. However, the K-P government has yet to confirm the figures. The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that PM Shehbaz had ordered immediate medical aid for the injured and condemned the firing by terrorists — referred to as Khawarij — targeting peaceful citizens. Read More: PM orders special flights after overland travel ban on Arbaeen pilgrims 'The nefarious designs of terrorists cannot shake our resolve,' the PM stated, reiterating his commitment to seeing the fight against terrorism through to its logical conclusion. K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also expressed sorrow over the tragedy and announced financial compensation of Rs10 million for each victim's family and Rs2.5m for those injured. He has summoned a jirga of tribal elders and public representatives to Peshawar to hear their concerns and strengthen ties between the government and local communities. Gandapur also directed district officials to increase engagement with residents and maintain peace and order. He said jirgas would be held at divisional and provincial levels from next week to address public issues more effectively. Separately, the Inspector General Frontier Corps (North) visited the injured at the FC Brigade Hospital, while Major General Rao Imran Sartaj met survivors at the Frontier Corps Teaching Hospital. The injured recounted the incident and thanked the FC and army teams for the free and timely medical care.
1716751010-3%2FTaxila-heritage-artefacts-(1)1716751010-3-640x480.webp&w=3840&q=100)

Express Tribune
9 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Taxila, Harappa, Bhera declared 'heritage cities'
Listen to article The Punjab government has announced an ambitious plan to preserve and promote the province's rich historical legacy by declaring three cities — Taxila, Harappa, and Bhera — as official Heritage Cities. The initiative aims not only to highlight these locations on the international stage but also to stimulate local tourism, cultural preservation, and economic growth. An initial budget of Rs60 billion has been earmarked for the development and restoration of 60 key archaeological and historical sites across the province. According to Raja Jahangir Anwar, Secretary for Tourism and Archaeology, Taxila has been given special prominence and will be designated as an 'International Heritage City.' Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif hailed Taxila as the 'City of Civilisations,' acknowledging its profound historical significance, particularly its connections with the Gandhara civilisation and sacred Buddhist heritage. To oversee development in Taxila, a dedicated Taxila Heritage Authority has been established, complete with an independent master plan, budget, and administrative control. The first phase of the project includes the rehabilitation of roads, enhancement of tourism infrastructure, and renovation of museums and craft centres. The second phase will focus on the creation of an open-air museum, a Gandhara Art Village, and the conservation of other historically significant buildings to boost tourism appeal. Harappa, another ancient centre of early human civilisation, has also been included in the list of 60 priority sites, although no separate authority or master plan has been announced yet. The government plans to upgrade its archaeological sites, museum facilities, and excavation areas to meet international standards, with the goal of attracting greater numbers of foreign tourists. Regarding Bhera, the secretary said that while it is a sizable city with a population exceeding 350,000, the focus will be on restoring the old city, which is famed for its nine historical gates, ancient bazaars, Sufi shrines, wooden architecture, and narrow heritage-style streets. Although Bhera does not yet have an independent authority or comprehensive master plan, development work has already begun under the heritage city project. A PC-1 is currently under preparation to transform it into a full-fledged heritage zone in the near future.


Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Energy-starved Pakistan's solar rush
Solar panels are now seen installed on the rooftops of houses across the country. Photo: AFP Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt. The quiet energy revolution has spread from wealthy neighbourhoods to middle- and lower-income households as customers look to escape soaring electricity bills and prolonged power cuts. Down a cramped alley in Karachi, residents fighting the sweltering summer heat gather in Fareeda Saleem's modest home for something they never experienced before — uninterrupted power. "Solar makes life easier, but it's a hard choice for people like us," she says of the installation cost. Saleem was cut from the grid last year for refusing to pay her bills in protest over enduring 18-hour power cuts. A widow and mother of two disabled children, she sold her jewellery — a prized possession for women in Pakistan — and borrowed money from relatives to buy two solar panels, a solar inverter and battery to store energy, for Rs180,000. As temperatures pass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), children duck under Saleem's door and gather around the breeze of her fan. Mounted on poles above homes, solar panels have become a common sight across the country of 240 million people, with the installation cost typically recovered within two to five years. Making up less than two percent of the energy mix in 2020, solar power reached 10.3 percent in 2024, according to the global energy think tank Ember. But in a remarkable acceleration, it more than doubled to 2 4 percent in the first five months of 2025, becoming the largest source of energy production for the first time. It has edged past gas, coal and nuclear electricity sources, as well as hydropower which has seen hundreds of millions of dollars of investment over the past decades. As a result, Pakistan has unexpectedly surged towards its target of renewable energy, making up 60 percent of its energy mix by 2030. Dave Jones, chief analyst at Ember, told AFP that Pakistan was "a leader in rooftop solar". Soaring fuel costs globally, coupled with demands from the International Monetary Fund to slash government subsidies, led successive administrations to repeatedly hike electricity costs. Prices have fluctuated since 2022 but peaked at a 155-percent increase and power bills sometimes outweigh the cost of rent. "The great solar rush is not the result of any government's policy push," Muhammad Basit Ghauri, an energy transition expert at Renewables First, told AFP. "Residents have taken the decision out of clear frustration over our classical power system, which is essentially based on a lot of inefficiencies." Pakistan sources most of its solar equipment from neighbouring China, where prices have dropped sharply, largely driven by overproduction and tech advancements. But the fall in national grid consumers has crept up on an unprepared government burdened by $8 billion of power sector debt, analysts say. Pakistan depends heavily on costly gas imports, which it sells at a loss to national energy providers. It is also tied into lengthy contracts with independent power producers, including some owned by China, for which it pays a fixed amount regardless of actual demand. A government report in March said the solar power increase has created a "disproportionate financial burden onto grid consumers, contributing to higher electricity tariffs and undermining the sustainability of the energy sector". Electricity sales dropped 2.8 percent year-on-year in June, marking a second consecutive year of decline. Last month, the government imposed a new 10-percent tax on all imported solar, while the energy ministry has proposed slashing the rate at which it buys excess solar energy from consumers. "The household solar boom was a response to a crisis, not the cause of it," said analyst Jones, warning of "substantial problems for the grid" including a surge during evenings when solar users who cannot store energy return to traditional power. The national grid is losing paying customers like businessman Arsalan Arif. A third of his income was spent on electricity bills at his Karachi home until he bought a 10-kilowatt solar panel for around 1.4 million rupees (around $4,900). "Before, I didn't follow a timetable. I was always disrupted by the power outages," he told AFP. Now he has "freedom and certainty" to continue his catering business. In the eastern city of Sialkot, safety wear manufacturer Hammad Noor switched to solar power in 2023, calling it his "best business decision", breaking even in 18 months and now saving 1 million rupees every month. The cost of converting Noor's second factory has now risen by nearly 1.5 million rupees under the new government tax.