Latest news with #Ordinance
Daily Express
23 minutes ago
- Business
- Daily Express
'No mining licence issued to Bumi Suria'
Published on: Thursday, July 24, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 24, 2025 Text Size: Kota Kinabalu: Land and Surveys Director Datuk Bernard Liew, who is also the Sabah Chief Mineral Surveyor, clarified on Thursday that no prospecting licence has been issued to Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd under the Sabah Mining Ordinance 1960. He said any statement, promotion or action suggesting the company holds such a licence is baseless and not officially approved by the state's mining authority. Liew reminded that all mineral prospecting activities in Sabah must be licensed under Sections 6 and 8 of the Ordinance, and must comply with relevant technical and legal requirements. He emphasised that the department takes seriously any public statement through media that could mislead the public. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Business Recorder
10 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
PTC vows to ensure transparency in tobacco leaf buying process
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PTC) has reiterated its commitment to supporting farmers, ensuring transparency in the tobacco leaf buying process, and strengthening the fight against illicit trade through robust compliance with regulatory frameworks. While briefing journalists during visit to tobacco leaf buying areas on Wednesday, Head of Leaf PTC, Imad Uddin told that the tobacco industry is operating under the oversight of the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and the industry is regulated by the PTB Ordinance, 1968, which governs production targets, procurement quotas, and fair market practices. As per the MLO 487, every year, the PTB allocates tobacco buying quotas to manufacturers based on their declared requirements, which are publicly notified to ensure transparency. This year the total demand from all the tobacco companies was around 81.5 million kilograms with 25 percent share of the Pakistan tobacco company. However, the total crop production is nearly 140 million kilograms. In case of surplus production, the PTB ensures proportional allocation among companies, safeguarding farmer interests. The MLO 487, or Martial Law Order 487, is a tobacco marketing law in Pakistan that regulates the purchase of tobacco by companies from growers. It requires companies to purchase surplus tobacco at or above the set Minimum Indicative Prices (MIP). This law is part of a broader framework including the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) Ordinance, 1968 and the Tobacco Marketing Control Rules, 2016. Imad Uddin further informed that, Pakistan Tobacco Company directly contracts with more than 10,000 farmers, and through almost 150 technical experts, provides technical training and agronomic support from seed sowing to harvest, ensuring responsible sourcing and quality enhancement. The PTC also provides financial assistance to farmers in terms of loans. Recently the PTC provided more than one billion rupees in terms of financial assistance to tobacco farmers in the region. Under this model, contracted farmers receive priority during buying, guaranteeing income security and promoting compliance with both local and international standards. 'Tobacco is called as a cash crop and directly manage more than US$ 65million economic activity and our commitment to farmers goes beyond procurement—we invest in their training, ensure guaranteed purchase of quality leaf, and create a sustainable livelihood model. Farmers remain at the heart of our business, Imad further stated. Addressing misconceptions around the Advance Federal Excise Duty (FED) imposed by the federal government at Green Leaf Threshing (GLT) units, the PTC clarified that this levy, currently set at PKR 390 per kilogram, is borne entirely by manufacturers and does not affect farmers in any way. 'The narrative that the advance FED hurts farmers is misleading and deliberately propagated by illicit trade operators to undermine tax enforcement,' the PTC official added. 'Farmers sell their green leaf to manufacturers; any tax applied after this point is strictly the manufacturer's responsibility.' There are only around 13 GLTs in Pakistan, all fully traceable, making them the most logical taxation choke point. In contrast, there are over 450,000 retail outlets selling cigarettes and more than 50 cigarette factories – primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) – where enforcement at post-processing levels is far more challenging. The FED at GLTs, fully traceable processing units—is a key tax enforcement mechanism designed to curb revenue leakage and illicit cigarette manufacturing. By documenting actual volumes processed by manufacturers, the system ensures declared production aligns with tax liabilities, strengthening the national economy. Unprecedented excise increase in recent years on the legitimate cigarette manufacturing companies and too low advance FED in previous years has led to the illicit sector to grow to more than 56% of the market. This increase has been fueled by smuggled cigarette brands. FBR needs to analyze how much tobacco was processed at GLTs and how much adjustable FED was collected from cigarette manufacturers and how much of this adjustable FED was actually adjusted against the final liability. FBR also needs to check how the GLT processing corresponds with the leaf buying of these manufacturers. The PTC remains fully compliant with the laws and regulation relevant to tobacco industry, aligning its operations with PTB directives and global best practices. 'Maintaining a fair and transparent supply chain is essential for Pakistan's economic stability. The advance FED is a crucial tool to protect government revenue and discourage tax evasion, which ultimately benefits legitimate farmers and the wider economy.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Assembly passes 5 bills, Sita temple ordinance
Patna: Amid commotion, the state assembly passed by voice vote five bills and an amendment ordinance — for constitution of a trust for the management of the reconstructed Ma Janaki temple at Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi district — on Tuesday. The speaker went through the motions of getting the bills passed swiftly, since no one from the opposition moved the amendments to the bills listed against their names. Health minister Mangal Pandey, as in charge of the law department, moved the Bihar Hindu Religious Trust (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, for its conversion into an Act. Earlier, the govt, by an ordinance, had decided to constitute a new trust to manage the Janaki temple, being reconstructed with new facilities and infrastructure, spread over 65 acres. The five bills passed by the House are Bihar Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aimed at giving more autonomy to the chief counsellors and their deputies in municipalities; Bihar Special Survey and Settlement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, having bearing on conducting land surveys in revenue villages in designated urban bodies; Bihar Agriculture Land (Development of Land for Non-agricultural Purposes) (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Bihar Underground Pipeline (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and Bihar Goods and Services Tax (First Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Desperate cry for children's future': Parents demonstrate at Jantar Mantar amid fee hike row
'Parents Are Not ATMs', 'Don't Sell Education, Serve It', and 'Education, Not Exploitation' were among the slogans on placards as hundreds of parents of students from private schools across Delhi gathered at Jantar Mantar on Saturday morning. Alleging arbitrary fee hikes, opaque school finances, and harassment of students over unpaid dues, a memorandum was submitted to top Delhi officials with 10 key demands, said protesters. CAG audits, scrapping of the Delhi government's Fee Regulation Ordinance 2025, and monthly fee collection — instead of advance payment — were included in the key demands raised in the memorandum. Parents alleged that their demands have not been addressed despite holding meetings and writing to the authorities. Saturday's demonstration was held under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV). Other key demands highlighted in the memorandum are 'putting an end to harassment and discrimination against children in schools, fair and transparent elections to Parent-Teacher Associations, formal tenders for vendor services and school infrastructure, revocation of CA licences in fraudulent school audits, mandatory online display of fees,' said a protesting parent at the venue. 'This isn't just a protest …it is a desperate cry for our children's dignity, rights and future,' said a protester, adding that the parents were forced to take to the streets after 'trying everything'. The Delhi Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, approved the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Ordinance, 2025, on June 10 amid concerns over arbitrary fee hikes by the private schools. Since then, parents have protested at least twice in June, making Saturday's protest the third such outcry. According to Education Minister Ashish Sood's previous announcements, the Ordinance regulates fee hikes, allowing only one hike every three years, subject to approval by school-level committees. It also empowers oversight bodies with fines up to Rs 10 lakh. There has been a three-tier appeals structure that has been set up via school-level committees, district appellate body and state-level body. It also mandates refunds and penalties within defined timelines if excess fees are charged. However, senior AAP leaders have strongly opposed the move, stating that it is 'anti-parent' and alleging that the parents' voices were ignored as the Bill was drafted 'in secrecy'. Some parents,who have been protesting against the Ordinance, earlier claimed during a protest that no consultations were held to address their concerns in the Ordinance.
Borneo Post
5 days ago
- Borneo Post
Four Indonesians jailed, fined for possessing nearly 5,000 turtle eggs in Serikin
Some of the turtle eggs seized by authorities. — Photo via Facebook/Sarawak Forestry Corporation KUCHING (July 19): Four Indonesian nationals have been sentenced to jail and fined by the Sessions Courts here today for the illegal possession of a total of 4,866 marine turtle eggs without a licence or permission from the Controller of Wild Life. All four pleaded guilty to charges framed under Section 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, punishable under Section 29(1)(c) and read together with Section 37(2)(a) of the same Ordinance. In Sessions Court 3, Denis Bobegi Septa was sentenced to six months' imprisonment after admitting to possessing 600 marine turtle eggs, which were found packed in plastic bags inside brown boxes. Authorities also seized RM1,500 in Malaysian currency and 9 million Indonesian Rupiah from him. The case was heard before Judge Saiful Bahari Adzmi and prosecuted by Simon Engka Crown. In the same court, Romiati was sentenced to four months' imprisonment for possessing 435 marine turtle eggs. The case was prosecuted by Willy Chin Siaw Min. Meanwhile, In Sessions Court 2, Iin Pretika was handed an eight-month prison sentence and fined RM55,000, in default four months' imprisonment. The case was heard before Judge Zuraidah Binti Zakaria and prosecuted by Leonard Baring. In Sessions Court 1, Sri Astuti received a four-month prison sentence and was fined RM12,910, in default three months' imprisonment. Judge Iris Awen Jon presided over the case, which was prosecuted by Peter Buga. Commenting on the court rulings, Controller of Wild Life Abang Arabi Abang Aimran said the decisions send a strong message to wildlife traffickers. 'These court decisions are a clear warning to traffickers that Sarawak takes wildlife crimes seriously. We will continue to strengthen operations, intelligence gathering, and public collaboration to protect the marine turtle population,' he said in a recent statement. According to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), the convictions stemmed from a joint operation carried out by SFC and Region 5 Marine Police under Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah. The raids were conducted at a lodging and a stall at Serikin Market in Bau, near the Malaysia–Indonesia border. The operation followed intelligence gathered by SFC, targeting a syndicate suspected of involvement in the smuggling and illegal trade of protected wildlife. SFC noted that the smuggling of marine turtle eggs across borders constitutes a serious transnational wildlife crime, threatening the survival of endangered turtle species and undermining ongoing conservation efforts. 'Smugglers often exploit gaps in border surveillance to traffic these eggs, feeding black market demand and exacerbating the decline of already vulnerable turtle populations,' SFC stated. In a separate case, Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) foiled an attempt to smuggle 5,400 turtle eggs on July 6 this year. The eggs were discovered hidden in cardboard boxes and backpacks aboard KMP Bahtera Nusantara 03 at Kapet Sintete Port, Sambas. SFC has urged the public to assist in protecting wildlife by reporting any suspected offences. Information can be channelled through the following hotlines: 019-8859996 (Kuching), 019-8883561 (Sibu), 019-8332737 (Bintulu), and 019-8290994 (Miri). fine Indonesian nationals jail Serikin turtle eggs
