Latest news with #PublicServiceCommission
New Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Health
- New Straits Times
Dzulkefly welcomes study on hiring Indonesian nurses
PUTRAJAYA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has welcomed the Public Service Commission's (PSC) proposal to conduct a detailed study on the suggestion by the Indonesian Consul-General in Johor, Sigit S Widiyanto, to establish a strategic collaboration with Malaysian hospitals to allow Indonesian nurses to serve in the country. Dzulkefly said he had taken note of the proposal and instructed his ministry to work with the Public Service Department (PSD) on the matter. "Whatever the outcome of the study, I have emphasised that it must take into account the interests of the public, the welfare of Health Ministry (MoH) staff, and the effectiveness of the national healthcare delivery system," he said in a post on X today. He added that, for now, the MoH would continue addressing the shortage of nurses through various measures as previously outlined. However, he said there was no quick solution to the critical situation, which could be partly attributed to internal factors such as the moratorium on private nursing colleges, which was lifted in 2024, and the absence of new intakes at MoH Training Institutes (ILKKM) for two years during the pandemic. On Saturday, Berita Harian reported that PSC chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Jailani Muhamed Yunus had said a comprehensive study was necessary before any proposal or policy to recruit Indonesian nurses for government hospitals could be implemented. He was quoted as saying the move was important to prevent the issue from becoming a polemic that would ultimately benefit no party. Ahmad Jailani stressed that the matter involved national policy and required in-depth discussions to reach the best possible decision. Yesterday in Perlis, Dzulkefly confirmed that no discussions or official applications had been made regarding the proposal to recruit Indonesian nurses for government hospitals.
NDTV
14 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Uttar Pradesh To Amend UPPSC Rules To Stop Paper Leaks
The Uttar Pradesh government will table the Public Service Commission (Procedure Regulation Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the state assembly today during the monsoon session, aiming to strengthen security in UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC) recruitment examinations and curb incidents of paper leaks. Under the new provisions, question papers will now be prepared in four different sets instead of the current three. Each set will be created by separate subject experts and packed in colour-coded envelopes with confidential codes before being dispatched to examination centres. The bill proposes amendments to sub-sections 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Section 10 of the UPPSC Act, 1985. Sub-section 1 will mandate four sets of question papers prepared by four different experts. Sub-section 3 will require experts to submit sealed envelopes of question papers, along with receipts, to the commission. As per sub-section 4, paper checkers will examine all four sets, seal them without any identifying marks, and hand them over to the exam controller. Sub-section 5 will make the printer solely responsible for any irregularities. The exam controller will select one sealed set without opening it, send it for printing, and ensure its delivery to exam centres in sealed packets, marked with both colour codes and confidential codes. The state cabinet approved the ordinance for these changes on July 22. The move is intended to close loopholes, prevent paper leaks, and make UPPSC recruitment examinations more secure from all angles.
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Florida Power & Light reaches "settlement in principle" regarding rate increase proposal, utility says
With a high-stakes hearing scheduled to start Monday, Florida Power & Light and numerous parties have reached a "settlement in principle" on a plan for base electric rates over the next four years, the utility said Friday. But other parties, including most notably the state Office of Public Counsel — which is designated by law to represent consumers — have not agreed to the potential settlement and want to move forward with the planned hearing at the Florida Public Service Commission. The developments late Friday afternoon added uncertainty to a closely watched case that has involved FPL seeking rate increases that would lead to customers paying billions of dollars in the coming years. In a filing at the commission, FPL did not detail terms of the potential deal but said that "on the heels of the extensive litigation" in preparation for the hearing, "FPL and multiple intervenors have reached a settlement in principle that would resolve all pending issues." The utility asked the regulatory commission to suspend timeframes in the case "to allow the settling parties to promptly memorialize the terms of the settlement. With the ability to focus on preparing the agreement, FPL and signatory parties will be positioned to submit the settlement for review by the commission's staff and any non-settling parties by August 20, 2025." But state Public Counsel Walt Trierweiler said in a filing that his office and four other parties object to a continuance and "will continue to prepare for the hearing." The commission is expected to decide how to proceed Monday. FPL early this year filed a proposal for rate increases of $1.545 billion in 2026 and $927 million in 2027. Also, FPL would pass along costs to customers in 2028 and 2029 for solar-energy and battery-storage projects. Base rates make up a major part of customers' monthly bills, along with costs such as power-plant fuel. Base-rate cases play out over months at the Public Service Commission and involve voluminous amounts of financial and other data. The multi-day hearing scheduled to start Monday would include expert testimony and lead to a decision this fall by the commission about whether to approve the FPL proposal or scale it back. If a settlement is ultimately finalized, the commission would hold a hearing on it and decide whether to sign off. Along with FPL, other parties involved in the potential settlement are the Florida Industrial Power Users Group; the Florida Retail Federation; the Florida Energy for Innovation Association; Walmart, Inc.; EVgo Services LLC; Americans for Affordable Clean Energy; Circle K Stores, Inc., RaceTrac, Inc.; Wawa, Inc.' Electrify America LLC; federal government agencies; Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, according to FPL's filing. FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel said in a prepared statement that a "settlement would provide a win for our customers and the state of Florida. We appreciate the constructive engagement of key intervenors. Any agreement that we reach should enable FPL to continue to make smart investments on behalf of our customers, ensuring that we can continue to provide reliable electricity to power our fast-growing state while keeping customer bills low." But the Office of Public Counsel has been joined in its objections by the groups Florida Rising, the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Floridians Against Increased Rates. Settlements in base-rate cases are relatively common. FPL is operating under a four-year settlement that will expire at the end of 2025. As another example, the commission last year approved a base-rate settlement for Duke Energy Florida. In contrast, the commission held a contested hearing before approving rates for Tampa Electric Co.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
2025 MYFutureJobs Premium X SPA Career Carnival at KLCC this November
PUTRAJAYA: The 2025 MYFutureJobs Premium X SPA Career Carnival will take place this November at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). Public Service Commission (SPA) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Jailani Muhamed Yunus announced the event as a key highlight of SPA's calendar. The carnival is organised in collaboration with the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso). Ahmad Jailani noted that similar events were held earlier this year at the World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur, Kapit, Kudat, and Putrajaya. He described the KLCC event as the 'grand finale' for 2025. The career carnival aims to raise awareness about job opportunities in both public and private sectors. Services offered include career advisory sessions, recruitment guidance, and job suitability checks. Ahmad Jailani shared updates on the ongoing MADANI SPA Career Carnival in Putrajaya. The one-day event had already attracted 3,000 visitors by morning, nearing its 5,000-target. A new feature this year is an open interview session for Veterinary Officer (Grade GV9) positions. The session targets final-semester veterinary students and eligible serving officers. Candidates were also briefed on the Public Service Entrance Evaluation (PSEE) and psychometric profiling. Ahmad Jailani emphasised inclusivity, with opportunities extended to the disabled (OKU) community. The initiative aligns with SPA's goal of achieving a one per cent OKU participation rate in public service. - Bernama
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Florida residents could see a $10 billion utility rate hike. Here's what to know.
Florida's biggest utility company is proposing a nearly $10 billion rate hike for electricity over the next four years, which environmental advocates say would represent the largest utility hike in U.S. history. Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a subsidiary of Florida-based energy company NextEra Energy, outlined the changes in a petition filed in February with the Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates the state's electric industry. According to the document, the rate hike would include two base rate increases in 2026 and 2027, and additional hikes in 2028 and 2029 to cover the installation of solar generation and battery storage facilities. The proposed hike would exceed the total sum of hikes state utility regulators signed off on in 2023, which was $9.7 billion, according to the U.S. Energy and Information Administration. The Public Service Commission has held several in-person customer service hearings on the proposed utility rate increase, in addition to two virtual hearings, in order to give customers a chance to voice their concerns. FPL will have an opportunity to defend its proposal when it goes before the commission at a two-week hearing slated to begin on Aug. 11. The regulatory body will then decide on whether or not to approve the proposed rate hike. FPL contends that the increases are necessary to ensure the reliability of the grid, diversify their energy sources and reduce fuel costs. "Our four-year rate proposal would enable FPL to continue to deliver some of America's most reliable electricity while keeping customer bills well below the national average," an FPL spokesperson said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. "While we know that no one welcomes rate increases, this request is essential to ensure that we can continue to deliver the reliable, low-cost electricity our customers depend on. The proposal comes less than a year after the Florida Public Service Commission approved $1.2 billion in rate hikes to pay for "storm restoration costs," a move environmental advocates say has jacked up monthly bills for Floridians. The last time the state's public service commission approved a base rate hike for FPL was in 2021, when it green lit a nearly $5 billion increase for the years 2022 to 2025. Environmental groups say the rate hike, if passed, could cause Floridians significant financial strain, exacerbate the state's affordability crisis, and funnel more money than necessary to FPL stakeholders. "This isn't about reliability or infrastructure," Brooke Ward, senior Florida organizer for Food & Water Watch, a U.S. nonprofit focused on sustainable food, clean water and a livable climate, said during a virtual press conference hosted by environmental groups on Tuesday. "It's about boosting profits." If passed, the proposal could push up Floridians bills by over $360 by the end of 2027, Food & Water Watch estimates. "These rate increases fall heaviest on the region's most vulnerable households, especially the elderly and disabled," Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. "If it can ask for an additional $10 billion, it should include provisions to help low-income families afford the resulting higher cost of electricity." FPL says in its proposal that the typical residential customer bill is "estimated to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 2.5%" and that it would "remain approximately 25% below the projected national average." According to estimates FPL shared with CBS MoneyWatch, with the rate hike, customer bills would increase by $10 to $20 by 2029. At the virtual meeting on Tuesday, Ward claimed the FPL is using "funny math" to make it seem like FPL is raising rates at a lower level than they are. In addition to base rates, the utility has multiple mechanisms to collect additional funds from rate payers which "rapidly hike up those bills," she alleged. Advocates such as the Florida Office of Public Counsel, the agency representing Florida residents in legal proceedings before the Public Service Commission, claim a disproportionate amount of the money from the rate hikes would be funneled to shareholders. According to testimony from Daniel Lawton, an economist tasked by the FOPC with reviewing the proposal, "for every dollar paid by consumers in base rates, about 50 cents would go to shareholders and related federal income taxes." Lawton called the shareholder profit request a "substantial overreach" and said it would result in "excessive rates and harms all Florida customers." In her rebuttal testimony for the company, FPL Senior Director Financial Forecasting Ina Laney said Lawton's analysis was "fundamentally flawed and misleading," and that it "fails to recognize the significant customer benefits derived from FPL's financial strategy." Added Laney, "FPL consistently achieves industry-leading performance in service reliability and cost management."
