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Maryam Nawaz initiates a revenue-based district development program throughout Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has made a significant decision to initiate multi-billion rupee development projects throughout districts under the vision “district revenue, district development,” with the objective of enhancing financial autonomy at the local level.
The chief minister presided over a significant gathering of commissioners to evaluate district development plans throughout Punjab. Commissioners from the Sahiwal, Sargodha, Faisalabad, and Multan divisions provided comprehensive briefings on available resources and proposed initiatives.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif emphasized the necessity for substantive development rather than superficial efforts, instructing commissioners to engage actively in the field rather than remain sequestered in air-conditioned offices. She stated that responsibility must correspond with authority and that public assistance must be guaranteed.
She articulated profound indignation at the demise of a three-year-old girl who plunged into an uncovered pit within a private housing society in Faisalabad. The chief minister mandated that every citizen who falls into a manhole will result in the arrest of the corresponding housing society owners. She also mandated monthly affidavits from all private housing societies affirming the absence of open manholes, in addition to the distribution of notices to all societies throughout Punjab.
She mandated rigorous surveillance of school facilities, securing all construction zones in accordance with standard operating procedures, and guaranteeing thorough sanitation across all tehsils. She noted that although several officers are excelling, others have merely produced “superficial work” with minimal tangible effects.
Officials reported that 4 billion rupees are allocated under local government finances for the Sahiwal division, with development projects amounting to 1.12 billion rupees set to be initiated. A total of 862 million rupees would be allocated for the building and repair of 10 key roads spanning 18.8 kilometers, with the objective of completion by September 2026.
Projects encompass farm-to-market roads, the enhancement of Firdous Town Road, the Sher Dil Chowk to Samundri Road, Harappa Road, Girls College Road, and multiple roads in Chichawatni. The chief minister mandated the construction of international-standard roads, the establishment of necessary sidewalks, the clearance of encroachments, and the enhancement of appealing access points in Sahiwal.
Maryam Nawaz declares Punjab has entered a golden period of development.
The enhancement of Pipli Pahar Road, the building of Gogera to Thatta Saranj Road, the installation of solar street lights on Akbar Road, and the installation of floodlights at Jinnah Stadium were sanctioned in Okara. In Pakpattan, five urban, five rural, and four beautification projects were sanctioned, encompassing the northern and southern bypasses, Malka Hans Road, a cricket stadium, a sports arena, and solar illumination along canals.
Development projects valued at 2.8 billion rupees were sanctioned for the Sargodha division. These encompass Shahpur Lak Mor Road, the enhancement of Bhhera, the upgrade of the Sial Mor motorway entry point, a pedestrian bridge on University Road, and the expedited installation of Safe City cameras. She also oversaw enhanced access to the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology, the building of parks, bus terminals, and sports facilities, with a completion target of 30 September for all projects.
The Faisalabad division received a briefing regarding 5.3 billion rupees in local resources and 59 projects, encompassing 81 kilometers of 38 highways. Projects include upgrade of Jhang Road bypass, reconstruction of Dijkot to Tandlianwala Road, improvement of small industrial estate, footpaths on Jaranwala Satiana link road, and modern roads in Toba Tek Singh, Gojra and Chiniot, along with street lighting on Jhang Road.
In the Multan division, 28 projects valued at 3 billion rupees would be finalized across four districts. These include end-to-end upgradation of roads from Ghanta Ghar to Chungi No 9 and Dera Adda to Aziz Hotel, dualization of Askari Bypass Old Shujabad Road, and improvement of various urban roads.
Additional projects encompass bus terminals, municipal buildings, roadway enhancements, sports arenas, parks, beautification initiatives, and the installation of contemporary street lighting in many locations, including Kabirwala, Vehari, Burewala, Lodhran, Mailsi, and Khanewal.
The chief minister asserted that the quality of development will be consistent throughout Punjab, declaring that commissioners serve as the government’s eyes, ears, and arms. She unequivocally stated that neither favoritism nor recommendations will be tolerated, and that only merit-based work will be permitted, with an uncompromising standard of excellence.
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Amazon raised worries about Anthropic AI models before US crackdown, source says
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was among tech titans who raised security concerns to senior Trump administration officials this week over Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, a person familiar with the subject told Reuters.
Jassy’s presence underscores the dramatic step taken by Anthropic on Friday to shut down its newest models worldwide under national security demands from the administration of President Donald Trump.
The San Francisco-based AI startup, which has confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering, had previously warned about hacking capabilities of its Mythos model and held it back from wide release, but earlier this week, Anthropic rolled out a public version, called Fable, with what it described as cybersecurity safeguards.
That brief release was over Friday. In a blog post, Anthropic said the U.S. government notified the company it believes there is a way to bypass, or “jailbreak,” a protection against using the model to uncover cybersecurity flaws.
In a blog post, Anthropic said the bypass only revealed “minor” security weaknesses that other publicly available models may find.
The Trump administration told the business to prevent any foreign nationals, inside or outside the U.S., from utilising both its latest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, Anthropic stated. Anthropic responded by saying it would block access to the models worldwide.
Amazon will not say if it had spoken to government officials regarding Anthropic’s models.
“It is not unusual for governments to ask us for advice about potential security issues because we are a leading cloud provider serving a large number of customers in the public and private sectors,” an Amazon spokeswoman said. “When they happen, we don’t disclose the details of these discussions.”
EXPORT RESTRICTIONS
Earlier Saturday, tech news site The Information highlighted Jassy’s concerns. The Information later reported, citing a U.S. official, that the administration was unlikely to require other AI companies to adhere to limits comparable to those placed on Anthropic.
Reuters could not immediately confirm plans by the Trump administration to regulate other corporations.
The U.S. government’s prohibitions were an export control, Anthropic stated in its blog post. The Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Commerce Department, which supervises export controls, did not react right away to a request for comment.
Officials issued the export control “reluctantly” after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei “refused” to “fix the jail break or de-deploy the model”, White House adviser David Sacks stated in a social media post on Saturday.
“The hope now is that Anthropic remediates the safety issue, the export control is lifted, and Fable goes back into general release,” wrote Sacks, co-chair of Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and once the White House’s AI czar.
Some advocates of export limits were puzzled by the Trump administration’s move because it also applies to allied nations, not only rivals.
“This wasn’t thought out very well,” said Jimmy Goodrich, a senior scholar at the University of California’s Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation. “It even prohibits Canadians and Brits working at Anthropic from doing research and development.”
The directive came as a previous fight between Trump administration officials and Anthropic was simmering down among portions of the U.S. government.
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Met Office forecasts windy weather in Karachi
The weather report said that the port city will have hot and humid weather with cloudy sky and maximum temperatures will hover between 34 and 36 Celsius.
Humidity ratio remained 66% in the air in morning which is predicted to remain between 55 to 75% during day, Met Office stated.
After days of searing hot weather with excessive humidity, Karachi reverted to Seabreeze on Saturday.
The sea wind, a critical factor that controls coastal temperatures, returns, making the usually heat-beaten metropolis more bearable. The influx of humid air from the Arabian Sea provides a relief to residents.
Health officials are urging the public to keep taking measures, particularly during the high afternoon hours. Still, it’s best to stay hydrated, not to get direct sun and use sun protection.
Karachi, being coastal, generally depends on the sea wind to keep the excessive heat at bay. The recent interruption of the breeze had sent temperatures soaring and the city was humid enough to feel considerably hotter.
Business
Aurangzeb says IMF had not asked for a tariff on solar panels
He disputed allegations that the government had considering taxing solar panels before the budget. ‘There was never any such demand from the IMF and the topic was never discussed,’ he said.
Aurangzeb stated in a media interaction that the government is working on a set of structural reforms in the energy sector to bring down electricity rates, improve the business environment and increase the competitiveness of major industries, according to a federal minister.
In reply to questions on the high energy costs and capacity charges carried over by successive governments, the minister said expensive power continues to pose a serious problem to industry including manufacturing, information technology, mining and other energy-intensive industries.
He said the government, in partnership with Energy Minister Awais Leghari, had already taken steps to remove cross-subsidies for industry and was pursuing changes through wheeling policy and other measures to increase efficiency in the electricity sector.
Read More : Solar panels, inverters, lithium batteries’ prices soar ahead of budget
The government is moving from short-term relief to more extensive, long-term structural reforms, the minister said. These efforts are to be expected to bear fruit in the coming years rather than immediately, he said.
Privatisation of energy distribution companies (DISCOs) is a crucial part of the reform agenda. The minister said three DISCOs had already been awarded expression of interest (EOI) and two more EOIs will soon be awarded. He said he was certain that the first batch of distribution businesses would be handed over to private sector management by the end of the year, with the rest to follow in phases.
There would need to be more regulatory control to accompany privatisation and work was beginning to ensure the regulatory system would be robust and effective, he said.
He also emphasised the ambitions to shift away from the existing single-buyer energy market model, controlled through the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), to a competitive multi-buyer system. “The change will help dismantle existing monopolistic structures and improve market efficiency,” he said.
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