Latest news with #MPI
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Malaysia vital to global semiconductor industry
FILE PHOTO: Semiconductor chips are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo PETALING JAYA: CIMB Research believes Malaysia remains an attractive destination for semiconductor manufacturing globally given the country's committed investments and a neutral party amid global trade tensions. 'With RM63bil in committed investments, an increase in local champions, and stronger Asean alignment, Malaysia is positioning itself as a neutral, indispensable node in the global chip supply chain,' the research house said. It added that Malaysia's transition from a back-end assembly base to a design-to-packaging semiconductor hub remains a work in progress. However, it said it was encouraged to see that the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) is gaining investor traction, institutional support, and regional momentum. CIMB Research said the NSS, launched in May 2024, aims to shift Malaysia beyond a 'Made in Malaysia' model to a 'Made by Malaysia' one by strengthening local capabilities in integrated circuit (IC) design, research and development, advanced packaging, and nurturing homegrown champions across the value chain. The research house said, since its launch, the NSS has attracted RM63bil in investments, of which RM58bil was foreign direct investment and RM5.2bil domestic direct investment. 'These investments underscore rising investor confidence in Malaysia's semiconductor ecosystem,' it added. The research house said Malaysia aims to develop 10 local semiconductor firms with revenues exceeding US$1bil and 100 companies with revenues exceeding RM1bil. 'The government has identified 13 Malaysian-based companies across the semiconductor value chain as key beneficiaries, including Carsem (M) Sdn Bhd, Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd (MPI), Inari Amertron Bhd , Pentamaster Corp Bhd , Vitrox Corp Bhd , and Kellington Group Bhd. 'In addition, promising IC design and services firms like Oppstar Bhd , SkyeChip Bhd, Infinecs Systems Sdn Bhd, and Experior Technology Sdn Bhd are also being nurtured to spearhead Malaysia's next phase of semiconductor growth,' the research house said, adding that more than RM2bil has been committed by government-linked investment companies and development banks via the GEAR-uP initiative. CIMB Research's top picks in the Malaysian outsourced semiconductor assembly and test sector are Inari Amertron Bhd and MPI. It also likes ViTrox for exposure to the automated test equipment sector.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty
India's efforts to reduce poverty have produced admirable results. As per the World Bank's revised poverty line, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 270 million people have been able to come out of extreme poverty. That's more than the population of Germany and Russia, combined. The poorest caste and religious groups saw the fastest absolute reduction in this period. It is now widely recognised that poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just lack of money. It includes deprivations in health, education, and quality of life. India's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures poverty using multiple indicators. It looks at 12 basic needs across health, education, and standard of living to understand how people are deprived in different parts of their lives. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of the indicators used. Based on this approach, NITI Aayog's discussion paper reminds us that nearly 200 million people in India still face multiple hardships. Poverty remains severe, with the poorest struggling to meet about half of their 12 basic needs. These people often live in mud houses in which piped water and proper sanitation are still considered luxuries. It is not unusual for them to skip meals in a day, and an illness or an unexpected life event can have disastrous consequences. It's important to remember that when people face simultaneous deprivations — especially non-monetary ones — these challenges can reinforce each other, keeping people trapped in poverty. For example, people who are deprived in both nutrition and sanitation are potentially more vulnerable to infectious diseases. These deprivation bundles are a recurring pattern observed among people living in extreme poverty around the world. Quite often, poverty reduction policies are not framed keeping these interlinkages in mind. Graduation Approach This multi-pronged way to measure and study poverty also demands a fresh approach to design anti-poverty programmes. For governments, it means investing in programmes that give people living in extreme poverty the tools to escape the poverty trap. Bangladesh-based NGO BRAC's Graduation Approach offers an effective model to do that. The Graduation Approach provides the poorest of the poor a sequential and complementary package that includes a productive asset such as livestock or small items for trading, training to manage them, some money for up to a year to meet their immediate needs, and mentorship to manage their income and savings. The programme has become a global success. It has reached and improved the standard of living for millions of households across 43 countries following randomised evaluations by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Households around the world receiving the multi-component support package of the Graduation Approach made significant gains in all the key MPI indicators. Let's take a closer look at them. Standard of living: The model increased household spending on food, fuel, and assets — all key elements of the MPI's standard of living dimension. In Bangladesh, researchers observed that participants were more likely to own land and a shop just two years after the programme — activities which the rural middle class partakes in. Even in Yemen, among the poorest countries in the world, people spent more on refurbishing their houses, suggesting they had money to spare after meeting their essential needs. Families also reported better financial security and higher spending on children. In India, households held more assets and reduced their dependence on informal credit. Health: Graduation Approach's focus on improving food security and access to healthcare can directly contribute to better health outcomes. In Afghanistan, the programme helped reduce diarrhoea among children under five years of age by eight percentage points. A study in Pakistan, India, Honduras, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Peru found people reported better health and happiness. In India too, some emerging lessons from studies show significant and sustained improvement in food security with 99% of participant households not skipping meals. Education: Researchers found that certain adaptations of the Graduation Approach also increased school enrolment rates among children. A study in Afghanistan conducted over 2016-2018 found that school enrolment rose by 7 percentage points for boys and 5 for girls. The Graduation Approach's close alignment with the national MPI indicators gives Indian States as well as the federal government a useful blueprint to design anti-poverty programmes effective in handling its multidimensional nature. Common deprivations It helps policymakers to identify the key areas that need urgent attention. For instance, the most common deprivation bundle in India is across four categories: nutrition, housing, sanitation, and clean cooking fuel. More than 34 million people lack access to these in India. Policies that target these areas in tandem are likely to have a much greater impact on poverty reduction. Over the past few years, India has introduced a slew of policies to improve children's nutrition, health and well-being of mothers, and financial inclusion for people living in poverty. And it has been successful too. Initiatives such as Poshan Abhiyan have been instrumental in improving health outcomes, particularly in reducing malnutrition, and PM Awas Yojana has reached millions through affordable housing. But these actions are often led by different Ministries. A multifaceted programme such as the Graduation Approach makes it easier for policy planners to achieve these different goals through one concerted strategy. In 2024, the Ministry of Rural Development took an important step in this direction by piloting the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative (Inclusive Development Programme) initiative across 11 States with a consortium of partners including BRAC, The Nudge Institute and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab ( J-PAL) South Asia. The programme — based on the Graduation Approach model — is designed to help rural women become entrepreneurs and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. Using this as a platform and in the spirit of cooperative federalism, States can identify vulnerability hotspots through MPI and target them through integrated proven solutions such as the Samaveshi Aajeevika to fight poverty and its multiple facets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid down an ambitious vision for inclusive development with a singular objective: leave no one behind. And as India marches towards becoming a high-income country by 2047, States must embrace evidence-based, innovative models such as Samaveshi Aajevika that can set people free from the poverty trap. Parikrama Chowdhry is the Lead - Policy (Scale-ups) at J-PAL South Asia; views are personal
Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
MPI sues accused killer over torched vehicle
MANITOBA Public Insurance is suing a man awaiting trial in the slayings of five people — including his three young children — accusing him of torching a vehicle on the side of the highway on the day their bodies were found. MPI is seeking $43,000 in damages for the Feb. 11, 2024 incident in which it claims Ryan Howard Manoakeesick, 31, 'purposely and intentionally' set fire to a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 'The plaintiff states that the damages to (the) Jeep were caused solely by the fault and wilful misconduct of the defendant,' reads the lawsuit, filed July 16 in the Court of King's Bench. 'The defendant has refused or neglected to pay the amount owing to date, or any portion thereof, despite the plaintiff's demands.' Manoakeesick has remained in custody since the day of the fire on Provincial Road 248, near St. Eustache, at about 10 a.m. Police who attended the scene found Manoakeesick's three children — two-month old Isabella, four-year-old Jayven and six-year-old Bethany — dead outside the burning vehicle. Police arrested him without incident nearby. Earlier in the day, RCMP officers found Manoakeesick's common-law partner and the mother to his children, Amanda Clearwater, 30, dead in a ditch on Highway 3 near Carman. Investigators later found Clearwater's 17-year-old niece, Myah-Lee Gratton, dead inside a Carman home where all of the victims lived with Manoakeesick. He has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder, meaning the Crown believes the killings were planned and deliberate. It is one of the biggest homicide cases in Manitoba in more than a decade. Manoakeesick has a history of drug and mental-health struggles, court records show. In March 2024, a judge ruled Manoakeesick was fit to stand trial after his lawyers requested he undergo an psychiatric assessment. His next court appearances are scheduled to take place between Sept. 8 and 12 in the Court of King's Bench. Several other hearings are scheduled in February, March and April of next year, court records show. Manoakeesick has not entered a statement of defence in the MPI case. MPI estimated the cost of the Jeep at around $40,200 and the cost of fire crews to respond to the scene at around $2,000. An additional $800 was spent to cover the cost of a rental vehicle for the Jeep's registered owner, who is not named in the lawsuit. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
RNZ News
20-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Ministry of Health reviewing campylobacter data after scaremongering accusations
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the research included studies dating back to 1988 that may not reflect the current situation. Photo: 123RF The Ministry of Health is reviewing campylobacter hospitalisation data, after new research found the rate of hospitalisation had jumped nearly 70 percent in 17 years. Analysis released by the Public Health Communication Centre found contaminated chicken was mostly to blame, causing nearly 80 percent of infections, but the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) disputed the figures and accused the researchers of scaremongering. Deputy director-general of Food Safety - which sits within MPI - Vincent Arbuckle admitted hospitalisations had increased, but told Morning Report infection rates were dropping. Food Safety was working with the Ministry of Health to understand what was causing more hospitalisations, he said. A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the research relied on a range of assumptions to determine "the overall burden of disease attributed to campylobacter", which included studies using data back to 1988. That may not reflect the current situation, they said, but the ministry and the Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF) were "undertaking a review of the data that our agencies hold relating to campylobacter and hospitalisation", the spokesperson said. The review sought to determine whether the assumptions the PHCC research relied on were valid. It would be completed within the next few months, subject to resource, prioritisation and availability of information, the ministry spokesperson said. Several factors could cause a rise in hospitalisations, they added. "Early access to healthcare, when required, plays a key role in managing the effects of campylobacter - such as dehydration - and preventing the more severe symptoms, which lead to hospitalisations. "There is work underway to increase access to primary care." PHF has been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
MPI increasing capacity for Driver Z program
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is increasing the number of spots available for its popular high school education program. On Wednesday, the Crown corporation announced it increased capacity for the fall session of Driver Z to nearly 4,700 seats, including 2,126 outside of Winnipeg. This is an increase of 500 spots since the fall 2024 session when it offered 4,200 seats available. MPI noted that this puts it on track for 10,000 seats this year, which will bring it back to pre-pandemic registration levels. MPI added that registration for the Driver Z fall session will begin on July 23 at 8 a.m. The program, which is offered in communities around the province, uses a mix of e-lessons, virtual and in-person classes, and in-car sessions to help students learn to drive safely. MPI will post the Driver Z course finder on July 18 so customers can pre-plan which course works best for them. Parents are also encouraged to complete the first few steps of registration, including setting up the new driver as an MPI customer and purchasing the Driver Z program, before registration day. On the day of registration, parents and guardians can sign up their child for the program at an Autopac broker or MPI service centre, through the MPI Contact Centre at 204-985-7000 or by calling the MPI driver education phone line at 204-985-7199.
