Latest news with #GazetteNotification
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
IHC urged to help stop wheat flour wastage
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has been approached to prevent the wastage of billions of rupees worth of flour (atta), the staple food of the masses, lost during handling and transit. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of IHC, Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, Chairman of the Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sack Manufacturers Association, Iskandar Khan, recalled that former IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had initiated proceedings under National Interest Case on July 8, 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the case remained pending, and after Justice Minallah's elevation to the Supreme Court, the implementation of the mandatory Gazette Notification S.R.O. 46(KE)/2017, issued on May 19, 2017, to curb flour wastage has not materialised. The notification made it mandatory to use PSQCA-licensed, environment-friendly, recyclable, and food-grade polypropylene sacks to prevent flour wastage caused by inferior quality, non-food grade bags during handling and transport. At present, most flour continues to be packed in substandard, non-food grade bags manufactured from hospital waste, crushed batteries, and hazardous plastic. Not only does this cause large-scale wastage of flour, but it also contaminates the staple food, spreading diseases across the country. According to the association, the non-implementation of the Gazette Notification has resulted in flour wastage valued at approximately Rs 594 billion annually. This represents the wheat cultivated on 752,941 acres of land and 1,014,239 cubic feet of water consumed to grow it each year since 2017. The price difference between non-food grade and food-grade sacks is minimal compared to the potential saving of Rs 67.2 billion in flour losses during the current year alone. 'We seek the Chief Justice's intervention to stop the wastage of flour, particularly for the 45 percent of people living below the poverty line, as per World Bank estimates, and the 11 million facing acute food insecurity, as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization,' Iskandar Khan stated in his letter. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
SCoR Mazdoor Union seeks swift action on operationalisation of railway zone
A delegation from the South Coast Railway Mazdoor Union, led by DRUCC Member Chalasani Gandhi and General Secretary Ch. Sankara Rao, met Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat and submitted a memorandum urging swift action on the long-pending operationalisation of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone. The union noted that although the SCoR was sanctioned in 2019 under the A.P. Reorganisation Act, a formal Gazette Notification is still awaited, delaying the full-fledged functioning of the zone headquartered in Visakhapatnam. Despite the Cabinet's approval in February 2019 and submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) by August that year, no significant progress has followed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the zonal headquarters on January 8, 2025. While a General Manager was appointed on June 5, 2025, the post remains ineffective due to the absence of administrative powers, as the Gazette Notification is still pending. The constituent divisions — Vijayawada, Guntakal, Guntur, and Waltair (to be bifurcated into Rayagada and Visakhapatnam) — continue under their previous zones. The union pointed out that other zones like ECoR, NCR, SECR, and SWR began operations soon after their formation via Gazette Notifications, even without permanent infrastructure. The leaders urged Mr. Sribharat to press the Prime Minister, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and other top officials to ensure the Gazette Notification is issued by August 15, 2025. Mr. Sribharat assured them that he would take up the issue with the concerned ministries in Delhi.
United News of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Cong slams census notification, demands clarity on caste enumeration
New Delhi, June 16 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday criticised the Gazette notification issued by the Government on the 16th Census, calling it a "damp squib" that offers no clarity and "remains silent on the inclusion of caste data'. On his social media handle X, Ramesh said that the notification merely reiterates what was already announced on April 30, 2025, and questioned the government's intent regarding caste enumeration. Ramesh alleged, 'It is entirely because of the persistence and insistence of the Indian National Congress that the PM surrendered to the demand for a caste census. He had called Congress leaders as urban Naxals for making this demand'. The Modi government had earlier rejected the idea of a caste census in both Parliament and the Supreme Court, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged. 'Today's Gazette Notification is, however, SILENT on the inclusion of caste in the 16th Census. Is this yet another U-turn by the ustad of U-turns? Or will details be announced later?' Ramesh asked, targetting the PM. Reiterating the party's demand that the 16th Census adopt the Telangana model, Ramesh said, 'The INC firmly believes that the 16th Census must adopt the Telangana model for not just caste enumeration but also bringing out detailed data information on socio-economic parameters caste-wise'. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officially notified that the next Census of the population of India will be conducted in the year 2027. Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday reviewed the preparation for the forthcoming Census of India here with Union Home Secretary, Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), and other senior officials. UNI RBE RN
