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Nestlé Pakistan installs benches, waste bins made from 100% recycled plastic waste in Hunza

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) In line with its global vision for a waste-free future, Nestlé Pakistan recently stepped-up efforts under the Clean Gilgit and Hunza Project by installing benches and waste bins made from 100% recycled plastic waste, in Hunza.

Clean Gilgit & Hunza Project is an initiative on waste management, in partnership with Nestlé Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan Waste Management Company (GBWMC) and KADO. It focuses on waste management and recycling system for Gilgit and Hunza by encouraging waste management of 200,000 kgs of plastics in 2021, eventually leading up to 1000 tons by 2025 to make the area waste-free and promote sustainable tourism in the region.

Sharing his views, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Secretary Home, Govt of Gilgit-Baltistan said, “The way Nestlé is playing a responsible role, we encourage corporate and private sector entities to come forward so that we can facilitate them on such projects.”

Talking on the occasion, Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Nestlé Pakistan said, “We are accelerating our actions to reduce the environmental impact of various kinds of packaging waste. Our vision is that none of our packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill nor in oceans, lakes and rivers. We are delighted that these benches and waste bins, made from 100% recycled plastic waste, complete the cycle of waste minimization and are a step towards promotion of circular economy.”

The waste bins and benches have been placed at popular tourist locations in Hunza, to encourage waste management. Earlier this year, Nestlé Pakistan also installed two machines for compressing and bailing plastic and packaging waste in Hunza and Gilgit respectively, these compressed bails are then transported downstream for recycling. In addition, Nestlé Pakistan also donated reusable bags to District Councils in Gilgit and Hunza for distribution among communities.

“Tackling packaging waste requires a collective approach and we are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle. To achieve this, we have set ourselves the commitment of ensuring 100% of our packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2025 and this initiative is a step in that direction,” Waqar further added.

This project marks Nestlé Pakistan’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of packaging waste by improving its management and recycling, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 17 – Responsible Consumption & Production and Partnership for Goals.

Globally, Nestlé continues to play a leading role in helping solve the issue of packaging waste with its three-pillar approach, i. Developing new packaging, ii. Shaping a waste free future and iii. Driving new behavior.

 

30 monuments to turn blue across Pakistan on Saturday night

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) This Saturday night, 30 iconic landmarks and monuments will turn blue in Pakistan to celebrate World Children’s Day and UNICEF’s 75th anniversary.

Monuments will go blue in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Ziarat and Peshawar.

This initiative is led by the Federal Ministry of Human Rights, UNICEF and partners, to mark Pakistan’s collective commitment to child rights.

Pakistan has set a world record in the number of buildings turning blue on 20 November since 2019. Since 2018, buildings, monuments and landmarks across the world have turned blue to mark World Children’s Day as part of a global initiative led by UNICEF.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been working tirelessly for child rights all over the world since 1946. UNICEF opened its first office in Karachi in 1948, in the year following Pakistan’s independence.

 

Swyft Logistics introduce paid period leaves calling it Monthlies

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Swyft Logistics becomes the first Pakistani company to introduce paid period leaves calling it Monthlies

Fostering a culture of trust, truth and acceptance Swyft Logistics becomes the first company in Pakistan to introduce a Period Policy. Starting today, all women at Swyft can avail up to 12 days of period leaves in a year.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Swyft logistics, a two year old tech based logistics startup with a 30% female workforce has created a “period policy” calling it “Monthlies” to allow employees to take time off during their periods without having to pretend they’re “sick” or face the stigma that lingers around menstruation.

Muhammad Uns, CEO of Swyft, said that the that the policy was specifically designed to combat that stigma:

“I have managed many female members of staff over the years and I have seen women at work who are bent over double because of the pain caused by their periods. Despite this, they feel they cannot go home because they do not class themselves as unwell.“And this is unfair. At Swyft Logistics we are very understanding. If someone is in pain – no matter what kind – they are encouraged to go home. But, for us, we wanted a policy in place which recognises and allows women to take time for their body’s natural cycle without putting this under the label of illness.”

More than just another leave policy, Swyft’s period policy encourages women to take time off as needed and discourages reluctance to speak openly about their bodies. It’s specifically designed to reshape the workplace conversation about bodies; to force us to acknowledge that we aren’t just thinking machines, we’re biological machines with complex processes and cycles. Part of the logic of Swyft’s policy is that productivity is affected by everything going on in your body, not just how many super foods you had for breakfast or how many hours of sleep you got last night. Research shows that womens’ productivity ebbs and flows in relation to their menstrual cycle – so workplaces should work with that natural flow, rather than against it.

In addition to creating a workplace that’s more understanding of the body’s natural cycles, Swyft wants to reduce stigma and end the perception of menstruation as illness. Sure you could use your sick leave to take a day off as needed, but should you have to take a sick day when you’re not sick? Menstruation isn’t a state of illness or aberrance – it’s an ordinary biological process.

https://web.facebook.com/swyftlogistics/videos/432983474874661/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing&_rdc=1&_rdr

Swyft is the first and only company in Pakistan to provide a flex time or leave program specifically designed with menstruation in mind i.e., pre-approved 12 annual leaves calling it “MONTHLIES”  

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZONG 4G Offers Customers The Convenience Of Digital Insurance Via Microensure Partnership

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Zong 4G continues to lead the digital innovation and agenda of the country, as it enters into a strategic partnership with MicroEnsure Pakistan. Through this collaboration, customers will have access to MicroEnsure’s range of innovative insurance and protection products through an end-to-end digital process. Zong 4G is combining the advantage of its network’s geographical scale with the innovative insurance offering of MicroEnsure. Leveraging on their experience in Pakistan and several other countries around the world, MicroEnsure brings a time-tested expertise in creating an affordable and scalable suite of digital insurance products. MicroEnsure has developed these products ground-up to meet the unique risk needs of Zong 4G customers. Commenting on the partnership, the spokesperson of Zong 4G said: “Zong 4G has a long history of bringing the latest innovations and we are committed to continuing investing in solutions that enhance our customers’ experience. Through our partnership with MicroEnsure, we are offering customers the most innovative insurance services to address their evolving needs”. Mr Rehan Butt, CEO, MicroEnsure Pakistan pointed out the significance of the initiative for the Pakistani population, insurance industry, and the country’s economy. He said, “We are thankful to Zong 4G for giving us this opportunity of serving their customers and bringing them to the safety net provided by insurance. Common people in Pakistan are exposed to many risks and deprived of sophisticated risk protection tools like insurance. This partnership will not only provide risk protection to common Pakistanis but also grow insurance footprint and contribute to the country’s GDP.’ With the mission to lead digital innovation, the partnership is a testament to Zong 4G’s commitment to the digital transformation of the country. Working closely with partners the company is ensuring a tailored approach to foster innovative products and services in Pakistan.

Create a Sense of Crisis before Diving into Digital, Urges Huawei Rotating Chairman Guo Ping

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Pakistan (NUT DESK) A sense of crisis should be encouraged and intensified to help drive digital transformation, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman Guo Ping has told a gathering of management professionals at the 13th Global Peter Drucker Forum.

Motivated employees “on a mission” and strategic planning aligned to the company’s goals were key to creating the climate for successful change, Guo Ping said.

He predicted all companies would “go digital” in future, but feared some currently at the early stages lacked clear strategic goals and were “just following the pack”.

Guo Ping told delegates at the annual Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna on Wednesday that there was “no real alternative” to change, but that companies had to answer a key question before successfully embarking on digital transformation:

“By going digital, how can they improve their organizational competitiveness and achieve their strategic goals?”

Guo Ping said high-quality planning was the starting point for successful digitalization. A fundamental transformation of Huawei’s product development in R&D and sustainable supply chains began twenty years earlier with IT Strategy & Planning.

“Looking back, we feel quite lucky, interlocking the goal of digitalization with the company’s overall strategic goals was certainly the right move. As a result, our organizational capabilities greatly improved. These transformation programmes made us a world class company”.

Guo Ping said changing employees’ mindset was “the biggest challenge” but key to successful transformation, with urgency generating “a sense of mission” and momentum for change.

“The sense of a crisis is important. Make it visible to intensify (it) to make employees truly understand the need for a change,” he advised, adding that the current situation had “been the perfect opportunity to create a climate for change” at the company.

He said Huawei had ensured employees had understood the need for change, fostered a culture of eagerness for transformation and ensured affected workers had felt protected.

Guo Ping said Huawei’s own culture of innovation begins with a tolerance for failure, with its researchers encouraged to adopt a varied, trial-and-error approach.

Citing the multiple 5G technologies Huawei had developed before one given technology was selected to be part of the industry standard, he recalled the words of the company founder Ren Zhengfei：“You take a path to find it only leads to a dead end. You share it with others so that they don’t repeat it and try another path: that’s also a success”.

Guo Ping highlighted the importance of transformation management and that at Huawei “the one thing that never changes is change”.

“To advance with times, we review our transformation planning every year, to ensure it aligns with our business strategy.  I believe continued transformation management will enable companies to constantly improve their capabilities in the digital era,” he said. “I hope all companies will boldly embrace change. After all, there’s no real alternative.”

The Peter Drucker Forum is held every year in the management guru’s hometown of Vienna, Austria. The annual event, the 13th since 2009, brings together professionals of modern management from around the world. The theme of this year’s conference was the human imperative of navigating uncertainty in the digital age.

TECNO starts promotions for the Gimbal Camera CAMON 18 series

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  TECNO has finally started promoting its first Gimbal Camera phone – CAMON 18 in Pakistan. After its successful launch in the global market, the phone is highly anticipated by the local users.

CAMON 18 comes as with the most exclusive features from TECNO so far. The phone shall support a Stabilized Gimbal Camera and 60x Zoom Technology. These features are used by professionals for high-class videography. Apart from this, CAMON 18 series will have three variants coming to Pakistan; CAMON 18 Premier, CAMON 18P, and CAMON 18t. The series will be a premium one, engaging not only the mid-range segment but the high-end users.

As CAMON is TECNO’s flagship photography series, hence camera is going to be the main feature of this new phone. The phone was recently launched globally and got immense popularity due to its enhanced Camera Technology. This is the first time gimbal technology is being introduced in any TECNO phone and this will be a game-changer for mobile photographers & videographers. 

 Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan, expressed his joy:

“This is the first time TECNO is introducing such high-class features in any of its phones. The gimbal technology will immensely help mobile photographers and videographers to get professionally stable and smooth pictures. The 60X zoom is also a first in our phones and you can say that both features combined, this phone is going to be a hit among high-end users.”

Looking at the teasers, CAMON 18 looks like a promising device. The phone is expected to hit the markets soon to become famous among photographers and high-end users. The launch date has yet not been announced so stay tuned for more.

Have You Pre-booked the realme GT Master Edition Yet?

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The Pre-orders for realme GT Master Edition are About to Run Out

 The pre-order phase of realme’s first-ever 5G flagship offering – the realme GT Master Edition is on the brink of completion, so book your orders now and get a realme Band with it.

The offline and online pre-orders for realme GT Master Edition are piling in, and for those who haven’t made their bookings yet, time is running out. The realme GT Master Edition (256GB) is up for pre-orders in offline channels and on Saamaan.pk for PKR 72,999/-, while the 128GB version is available in the market for PKR 66,999/-.

The realme GT Master Edition packs industry-defining specifications for the most affordable prices. Truly, it is touted a real 5G flagship killer because its price segment smashes all industry front-runners. The realme GT Master Edition is hailed as Smartphone of the Year for it doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. The smartphone was highly anticipated by technology enthusiasts and consumers alike, therefore it is no surprise that the device has broken all first sales records on Daraz 11.11 Salebration.

So, here’s why you should get yours as quickly as you can:

A Design and Price like None Other

The futuristic design of realme GT Master Edition speaks for itself. Designed by Naoto Fukasawa, a world-renowned industrial designer, the Voyager Grey realme GT Master Edition takes inspiration from a suitcase. The concave vegan leather back embossed with horizontal lines is bound to activate sweet travel memories in all of us. Apart from the premium look, realme GT Master Edition also comes in Daybreak Blue resembling hues straight from the horizon that is pleasant to look at. The phone not only feels great to the touch, looks amazing in the hand but is easy on the pocket as well; making it the best among others in the same range.

A Performance Powerhouse

Under the vegan leather hood, the realme GT Master Edition runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G processor. It is fast, and more so on the GT Mode that gives the ultimate gaming experience. The realme GT Master Edition with its 6nm advanced process is a favourite amongst pro gamers because it deals an exhilarating experience of gaming and performance unmatched by others.

An Eye-gluing Display

We are glued to our smartphone screens all day, aren’t we. The realme GT Master Edition wins in this department as well with its 6.43” of 120Hz Super AMOLED Display. It will surely keep your eyes glued to the game, movie, photo or anything else that you indulge on your smartphone.

 A Performance-centric Charging Speed

The more you delve into your realme GT Master Edition, the more you’ll love it. And the more you love it, is the more you’ll be amazed by the 65W SuperDart Charge that charges the phone to 100% in 33 minutes. So, the phone is not only fast in performance, but its 4,300 mAh battery also charges are speeds that will surely keep you on-the-go.

A Camera that Makes the Streets Come Alive

Next on the amazing feature’s list is the 64MP Street Photography Camera that makes the streets come alive. Capture your surroundings like you’ve never captured them before on the Street Photography Mode that exudes nostalgic tones from your photos, making you an instant storyteller.The realme GT Master Edition is available in 128GB and 256GB versions. The 128GB version costs PKR 66,999/- and is available in offline and online marketplaces like Daraz. The 256GB version can be pre-ordered for PKR 72,999/- in offline and online marketplaces like Saamaan.

foodpanda thanks PRA on behalf of its homechefs for a much needed relief in sales tax

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) In order to create a favourable business environment, Punjab Revenue Authority decided to provide a reduction in sales tax being charged on commissions for home based chefs. The rebate reduced sales tax from 16% to 5%, allowing better profitability and growth potential for homechefs operating on online food delivery platforms such as foodpanda.
 
Homechefs are essentially people operating out of their home kitchens who sell food through online platforms such as foodpanda. foodpanda currently have 5,000+ registered homechefs who have been taken on-board after stringent routine checks for food hygiene, quality, safety, packaging, etc. The company’s aim is to increase the homechefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered homechefs.
To learn more, visit: https://web.facebook.com/foodpanda.pk/videos/427807048693130
Nauman Sikandar, CEO foodpanda, while sharing his thoughts said, “A big thank you to the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) from foodpanda and our home chefs. The reduction in sales tax being charged on commissions for home-based chefs comes as a welcome respite. This move will help grow a new sector which has significant potential for financial and economic inclusion, specifically women economic empowerment. It would be ideal that other provinces also follow suit and implement the same for homechefs.”
 
Shahzadi Asghar, a registered homechef at foodpanda, while sharing her gratitude said, “It’s very difficult to do business in today’s situation, that too a home-based business. Thanks to foodpanda and PRA that sales tax is now reduced by 11% which in turn has significantly improved our margins. I am now thinking to expand my food venture with this favourable initiative.”
 
The visionary step by the Punjab Government must be supported by other provinces as the sector continues to grow exponentially across the country.

Experts for stakeholders’ say on post-Covid challenges for youth

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Experts at a panel discussion have emphasized for a major role of stakeholders especially parliamentarians, educationists and parents for moving forward with education agenda to resolve host of critical issues and limitations created with the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

The policy discussion was organized by the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) as part of its 12th Annual Convention in Islamabad with a theme “Re-thinking education in the times of Covid-19”.

Sharmila Faruqui, former Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister, Deputy Focal Person Policy Planning and Implementation Unit Balochistan Abdul Khaliq, and National Coordinator of PCE, Zehra Arshad, were the main participants of the discussion.

They discussed the grave situation created by the Covid-19 pandemic in the country and its negative impacts especially on the education sector.

The discussion revolved around the urgent need for all stakeholders, especially the parliamentarians to come together and address the areas where the existing public education system, and more recently, the digital education is falling short in accommodating the needs of the marginalized communities.

Sharmila Faruqui, former Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister, was of the view that the youth does not have proper accessibility to technology such as smartphones, laptops, and the Covid-19 has highlighted this inequality.

She mentioned that only 32 percent of students across the country reported that learning material was provided by their schools during the lockdowns. The most important aspect to promote education is poverty reduction. “We also need to have focus on social protection programs to ensure that children especially girls are protected,” Sharmila said suggesting that trainings and legislations must be done to have better results, she added.

Participating in the discussion, Abdul Khaliq, Deputy Focal Person – Policy Planning and Implementation Unit Balochistan suggested to look at different models currently in practice to adopt in Balochistan keeping in mind the extensive challenges and poverty in the province.

He said that they need a system that ensures the continuity of learning in the future. “Our government has allowed us leverage as they have created new positions of IT teachers to facilitate the process of online education which is an achievement of the institute,” he explained.

National Coordinator of PCE, Zehra Arshad, gave an overview of the educational landscape under the COVID and explained how important it is to ensure inclusivity.

She emphasized the governments to review policies and plans by including all partners and stakeholders like civil society organizations, parents and teachers across the board to ensure their voices are heard and incorporated into the policy making process to transform education in the post-pandemic era.

Executive Director Pakistan Youth Change Adovcates, Areebah Shahid also stressed that standing committees of parliament should have effective oversight to cover marginalized children mainly girls, children with disabilities and students belonging to low socio-economic.

Other participants of the discussion included Research Fellow at I-SAPS Abdullah Alam, Managing Director SCSPEB Balochistan Irfan Ahmed Awan, Program Director Shawana Shah, Chief Executive Thar Education Alliance Sindh Partab Shivani, Chief Executive AwazCDS – Punjab, Zia Ur Rehman and Pakistan Programme Director Malala Fund Javed Malik.

The Government of Punjab invites Bookme.pk to represent Pakistan at Dubai Expo 2020

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  The Punjab government has introduced an online platform, Startup Punjab developed by PITB. The portal aims at bridging the disconnect between Pakistani startups and international stakeholders under the vision of ‘Invest in Punjab, Buy from Punjab and work for Punjab. Punjab Minister of Higher Education and IT, Raja Yasir Humayun announced that 20 startups have been selected for Dubai Expo 2020 through the PITB developed startup Punjab portal. Bookme being the leading e-ticketing platform in Pakistan, has marked its presence in Dubai Expo 2020 to be the top in selected 20 startup companies from Punjab. The company is now going to represent Pakistan internationally.

Faizan Aslam, CEO of Bookme expressed his thoughts, “Bookme is extremely proud to be representing Pakistan at Dubai Expo 2020 – a significant milestone we had dreamt to achieve in our journey. Our representation there will give Bookme an added opportunity to contribute towards Pakistan’s growth” .