Latest news with #MuhammadAkmal
Business Recorder
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
CM launches scheme to give 1,000 free tractors, cash grant to farmers
LAHORE: For the first time in Punjab's history, 1000 free tractors along with cash grant scheme worth Rs 5,000 per acre has been launched for the wheat farmers. Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched the said scheme by giving tractors and cash grant to the wheat farmers in a ceremony held at Rice Institute Kala Shah Kaku. She handed over the key of the first tractor to Muhammad Akmal. She presented the key and model of the tractor to a female farmer Tahira Nasreen. A female farmer presented a shawl to the chief minister. The chief minister gave a cash grant worth Rs 50,000 to a wheat farmer Haroon Bhatti, Rs 40,000 to Muhammad Akram, Rs 35,000 to Ghulam Sabir and Rs 30,000 to Muhammad Nawaz. She inspected 75 tractors and other agricultural equipment worth Rs 300 million gifted by China. She was given a briefing about latest tractors and agricultural equipment. She inspected 12 new and latest Chinese tractors. The CM reviewed Rotavator, Rotary Tiller Fertilizer Seeder, Corn Harvester, Cultivator and Tree Trimmer. She inspected Crawler Type Wet Rice Combine Harvester, Corn Harvester, Hoses Sprinkler and Photovoltaic Water Pumping System. The Chief Minister was informed about eco-friendly advanced technology for rice. Provincial Minister for Agriculture Ashiq Hussain Kirmani apprised in detail about the Wheat Support Programme across Punjab. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
27-04-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
No plans in sight to tackle upcoming heatwave
Despite the fact that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is highly prone to natural disasters, the provincial government's efforts towards combating climate change appear to be limited to lip service only. As the arrival of April marks yet another spell of extreme heat, the authorities' plan of action is restricted merely to advising people to cover their heads, avoid going out in the sun, and drink plenty of water. According to meteorological experts, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is likely to experience temperatures up to 47 degrees Celsius during June and July this year. It is predicted that from April to May, the temperature will rise to 41 to 43 degrees Celsius. This sudden change in weather can cause a variety of health issues among locals. However, the K-P government has not yet prepared any plan for tackling the looming heatwave, with major hospitals still unprepared. A report published by the K-P Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) revealed that from April 12th to 21st, despite no heatwaves, severe rains and weather changes instigated thunderstorms, storms, and flash flooding across the province, resulting in 60 deaths and dozens of injuries. The report also stated that a total of 11 houses were damaged due to the rains. Such incidents were reported across various districts of the province, including Charsadda, Khyber, Shangla, Buner, Lower Chitral, Swabi, and Kola-Palas. Apart from this, areas like Chitral face an added risk of flooding as peaking temperatures in May and June could potentially cause glaciers to melt and river water levels to rise. However, despite the looming risk of disaster, no concrete steps have been taken to tackle the impending environmental hazard. Despite the K-P government's claim of developing the province's first climate change policy, practical steps to cope with climate change remain measly. Salar, a resident of Charsadda living near the Kabul River, told The Express Tribune that for the first time in his lifetime, the spring season was either hard to observe, or did not arrive at all. "The increase in temperatures and decrease in winter duration have altered the timing of the seasons and rainfall patterns. The hailstorm in April, which typically brings large-sized hailstones, has raised concerns in cities like Peshawar," said Salar. According to Dr Muhammad Akmal, a climate change expert and former Director of the Climate Change Center at the Agricultural University Peshawar, the province's plain and mountainous areas will experience a rapid increase in temperatures over the next five to 10 years. "The monsoon rains, which typically occur in June and July, are now expected to extend into April and March by 2030. Similarly, the winter rains, which used to occur from September to January, have decreased to a duration of less than five months, and it is predicted that the winter rainfall pattern will cease to exist by 2030," revealed Dr Akmal, who identified concrete roads, industrialisation, elimination of green belts, vehicular emissions, unchecked use of air conditioning, deforestation, and plastic use as the key factors contributing to climate change and rising temperatures in K-P. Reportedly, the K-P Health Department has recently developed a 'Climate and Health Adaptation Plan'. The plan warns that if timely measures are not taken to address climate change and its impacts, approximately 1.8 million people in the province may face health issues in the coming years. The plan further predicts that in the coming years, K-P may experience a 30 to 40 per cent increase in malaria and dengue fever cases, as well as a 20 per cent increase in cholera outbreaks due to rains and floods.
The Sun
26-04-2025
- The Sun
Spotlight on dangers of over-reliance on AI
PETALING JAYA: A string of slip-ups in images of the Jalur Gemilang involving a national paper, global expo and ministry report has shone a spotlight on the risks of unchecked AI use. Universiti Malaysia Kelantan Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data (Aibig) director Dr Muhammad Akmal Remli said such errors point to flaws in how global AI models are trained and deployed, especially when it comes to culturally specific content. 'Inaccuracies like a wrongly rendered Jalur Gemilang happen because the AI model may not have had sufficient exposure to correct representations of Malaysian symbols during training,' he said, adding that while some AI tools perform impressively when generating generic content, they often falter with highly specific cultural or national elements such as flags. 'AI can generate a wide range of content such as text, voice, images and videos based on prompts. But what many do not realise is when AI is asked to create an image of a classroom with a Malaysian flag, the outcome depends on how the AI interprets those prompts through numerical tokens and what it has learnt from its training data.' Muhammad Akmal said this reflects a broader issue – many generative AI models are built and trained within global frameworks that often under-represent countries like Malaysia. 'Global AI models frequently lack sufficient regional and cultural training data. There is an opportunity here for Malaysia to develop its own AI systems.' He said with government backing, local startups and tech companies could step up and train models using Malaysian data involving cultural symbols, traditions and languages. Muhammad Akmal also said using AI in government and media settings, especially for public content, requires greater caution. 'Incidents like these are a wake-up call. We must use AI responsibly, not just chase trends.' He emphasised the need for safeguards at several levels, including determining if AI-generated content is even necessary, and conducting rigorous reviews before publication. 'Human oversight is not optional. It is essential.' While some have called for new laws to regulate AI, Muhammad Akmal said Malaysia already has a framework in place. The National Guidelines on AI Governance and Ethics issued by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry last year aim to encourage responsible AI use across all sectors. 'Instead of piling on new rules, the focus should be on tightening implementation through proper training and awareness, among government and media professionals,' he said, adding that AI should complement and not replace human decision-making. 'AI is a tool. It can help spark ideas or automate tasks, but humans must still lead. Particularly with editorial or official content, relying solely on AI without verifying the output could result in serious slip-ups. 'Experts can spot errors AI might overlook. This collaboration delivers efficiency without compromising accuracy, which is critical when dealing with culturally or nationally sensitive content.' He also urged developers to improve the quality and diversity of training data. 'Biases or inaccuracies in datasets will inevitably surface in AI output. Developers must aim for high-quality, representative data, especially in culturally sensitive areas.' Despite the recent flag-related blunders, Muhammad Akmal believes public confidence in AI remains intact. 'I don't think trust in AI has been lost. Most people will likely see this as a human oversight. But it's a timely reminder that working with AI requires extra care, especially when national identity is involved.' To promote responsible AI use, he called for proactive public engagement. 'Institutions should hold dialogues, training sessions and awareness campaigns for the public on responsible AI practices. 'At Aibig, we run regular training programmes to equip participants with best practices in AI safety and ethics.' Muhammad Akmal said as Malaysia advances into the digital era, AI can be a powerful ally, but only when guided by human judgement, local insight and ethical responsibility.
