Category: Business

Reckitt Pakistan and MOCC Partner to Ensure the Sustainable Provision of Clean Water To Control Water-Bourne Diseases By Installing Solar Panels

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Dettol Pakistan’s initiative ‘Hoga Saaf Pakistan’ has actively been working with the Ministry of Climate Change, and once again has joined forces itself with the Government of Pakistan and the Prime Minister’s initiative, ‘Clean Green Pakistan’ to achieve their targets primarily under three pillars; personal hygiene, sanitation, and solid waste management.

According to the latest stats, 53,000 Pakistani children under five lose their lives annually from diarrhea due to poor water and sanitation. The effects of climate change and rapid urbanization also contribute to challenges of improving access to safe water and sanitation.

With that in mind, and the support of MOCC, Reckitt Pakistan is working on renewable energy, unveiling a filtration plant in Attock made sustainable by installing Solar Panels. The purpose of the installation is to ensure the provision of clean water for the people to help control water-borne diseases.

Alongside creating sustainable change through renewable energy to improve access to facilities regarding better hygiene and sanitation, Dettol Pakistan continues its efforts on increasing awareness by conducting Dettol handwashing activities in schools across the nation. This awareness campaign aims to stress the importance of handwashing while instilling the habit amongst all kids.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that washing hands with soap and water could reduce diarrheal disease-associated deaths by up to 50%. A large percentage of foodborne disease outbreaks are spread by contaminated hands. Appropriate hand washing practices can reduce the risk of foodborne illness and other infections.

Mr. Kashan Hasan, CEO of Reckitt Pakistan stated “Every day, Reckitt’s brands are supporting people to lead cleaner, healthier lives through better health, hygiene, and nutrition. We put ‘purpose’ at the heart of the company and our brands. “Hoga Saaf Pakistan” is not just a movement but is our commitment to Pakistan through which we want to educate and instill responsibility amongst all Pakistanis to work towards a cleaner and healthier Pakistan. We believe access to the highest quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment is a right for people across the nation.”

Also in attendance was Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam. During his stint as Special Assistant, Mr. Malik Amin has installed as many as 45 water filtration plants in different areas of Attock, Hazro, and Hassan Abdal at the cost of more than Rs. 60 million.

“An estimated 70 percent of households still drink bacterially contaminated water. Due to this, people in the area have been suffering from different water-borne diseases including Hepatitis and Diarrhea. These filtration plants will help control the spread of such deadly diseases by ensuring the provision of clean water for the people to control water-borne diseases,” stated Malik Amin Aslam while explaining the importance of the installation.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Kotler Impact has recently launched its book ‘Essentials of Modern Marketing’ in Pakistan, written by the marketing guru himself Mr. Philip Kotler. It is for the first time that an international book has incorporated success stories of Pakistani organizations as case studies. Jaffer Business Systems is one of the 16 distinguished companies from Pakistan that are mentioned in this book. Students in Pakistan and other developing countries are used to studying the case studies/success stories of foreign companies as part of their textbooks, and they would hardly relate with their products and services.

Now, they will study about the companies, the products, or services of which they either avail or see around them. This is a breakthrough for Jaffer Business Systems being the only tech company covered in Kotler’s Book – bridging the gap between the academia and corporate sectors.

“I am delighted that JBS was selected as one of the case studies, along with many other top companies from Pakistan. It is a great milestone for our country to have a book on local case studies as we badly lack local content for our students and readers in general. The case studies on JBS and other companies will now add more details from the local perspective for the students in Pakistan, which was an essential missing element in our business books all these years. I am sure it will help prepare them better for professional life. JBS has been making great strides in recent times with expansion in its existing businesses, we will be investing in creating more businesses like Hysab Kytab, JBS Incorporated (in USA), and via the acquisition of startups like Blutech Consulting and ENA. We will continue to remain focused on achieving both vertical and horizontal growth in terms of portfolio of products, customers, and territories” said Syed Ul Veqar Islam.

Expressing his views on the occasion, Mr. Sheikh Tariq, (Regional Sales Head of Jaffer Business Systems) said, “It’s a moment of great privilege for the entire Jaffar Business Systems after getting recognized in one of the top-tier marketing books. Our journey towards technological advancement, research and maintaining excellence in client services will keep growing magnanimously in years ahead.” He further added, “This recognition will surely play a great role in bringing Pakistan’s IT sector on the face of world map in the surroundings where techie giants are already on the leading position.”

An esteemed panel of speakers present at the event included Dr Fahim, CMO Kotler Impact, Fatima Asad Said, CEO, Abacus, Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor, Atif Sultan, Director Marketing Foods PepsiCo, Prof. Dr. Asghar Zaidi, VC GCU, Dr. Omair Haroon, Assistant Professor SDSB LUMS and Humayun Farooq, Director Marketing RB while the moot was moderated by Javaria Khan, Country Head Sales & Marketing, Chughtai Healthcare.

P&G Pakistan’s senior leadership team recently called on the Minister of Finance, Shaukat Tareen on the occasion of completing 30 years of successful business operations in Pakistan. During the meeting, P&G discussed about foreign direct investment into Pakistan by expansion of its local manufacturing footprint and significant investments in fixed assets in the country. The support received from the Government of Pakistan over the years has been instrumental to P&G’s successful operations in the country. Seen in the photo (L-R) is Adil Farhat CEO P&G Pakistan, Shaukat Tareen, Amar Abbasi, Head of Legal & Government Relations and Khalid Farid, Commercial Leader, P&G Pakistan.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) BankIslami, the country’s leading Islamic financial institution, has bagged two coveted accolades at the 7^th Annual Islamic Retail Banking Awards 2021 held in Dubai recently. The Bank won as the Islamic Bank of the Year for Growth and Strategy while the President and CEO of BankIslami was honored as the Best Personality of the Year for a second consecutive year. The international awards are a pinnacle of achievement for Sharia-compliant banking in Asia and receiving these showcases the extent of BankIslami’s performance throughout the region.

The Islamic Retail Banking Awards are organized by UK-based Cambridge IFN and within the last 7 years have become a gold standard within the industry. BankIslami has displayed exceptional performance in terms of customer servicing and revolutionizing the Riba-free sector through technological advancements, setting a unique precedent for others to follow. The organization has achieved significant milestones in operations with profits, number of account holders and assets witnessing substantial growth over the last few years despite challenging circumstances faced by global economies. Moreover, the President and CEO, Syed Amir Ali being honored for the second year running showcases his revolutionary potential and foresight in leading BankIslami to new heights of success and saving humanity from RIBA at the same time.

Speaking at the occasion, Syed Amir Ali, President and CEO, BankIslami stated; “BankIslami has displayed splendid performance during the year 2020 with the organization’s profits increasing substantially. Our scope of services is rapidly expanding to unexplored domains in order to provide state-of-the-art services to customers. I dedicate my award to the exceptional team at BankIslami that has been driving optimal growth and progress for the organization. We are honored to receive this coveted accolade and will continue to strive in providing all stakeholders with RIBA-free solutions for all their financial needs.”

TECNO HIOS FANS Cafe was successfully held in Lahore on Sunday with dozens of young fans, well-known mentors, industry pacesetters, and tech developers. The event was held to announce and celebrate the latest HiOS 8.0 Update in the latest Camon 18 Series.

The event was filled with fun activities. The session started with a training session by the national trainer, Arsalan Zahid, where an Introduction of HiOS Update, Utilization, and Functions were explained in detail. The participants were thoroughly communicated about the usage and importance of these new updates. Zahid said,

“This is a great initiative from TECNO and HiOS. Through the new updates, Ella, the Voice Assistant allows controlling your whole device with a single voice command. It helps you take better snaps for documents so that they come out at the right angle, and also helps users in better at Video Making. It also brings improved features such as the Always On Display and Phone Cloner.”

After that, a KOL Briefing on HiOS Updates and Experience was also conducted by one of the top Tech YouTubers – Nouman from Tech Hoz. He explained how HiOS updates will be useful for video makers, Vlogger, YouTubers, etc. These sessions followed an engaging Q&A session and distribution of Gifts among participants. The fans experienced CAMON 18 Premier’s HiOS 8.0 update and shared their remarks as below.

“I’m loving the Ella voice assistance update”, “I’m a job person and can’t check my phone every time, but HiOS 8.0 update is offering an always-on display which helps me with notification updates so I never miss out on anything”, “I love making videos. And HIOS 8.0 update has come with film making inbuilt feature.” Fans enthusiastically expressed their joy at the scene.

Moreover, a passionate Drum Circle had been arranged for the participants which hyped up the event with mystical music. The event was all filled with learning, wisdom, and then fun for the participants. A group photo was taken with the fans as a remembrance of this great event.

Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan, shared his view of the event,

“This is an exclusive experience we have brought for our fans in collaboration with the HiOS team. We want the younger generation in Pakistan to better understand the technology and help them use it fruitfully. As the Camon 18 Premier comes updated with the latest HiOS 8.0, fans got a chance to use its first-hand today.”

The event ended on a warm note, rightfully achieving the objective of the gathering. Every participant was enlightened and more aware of the usefulness of the new updates.

HiOS Fans Cafe is an event that has come to stay with fans cordially. Every of our fans are special to us. This event ended on a warm note, rightfully achieving the objective of the gathering. Every participant was enlightened and more aware of the new products.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Monday it has closed all of its 12 New York City stores to indoor shopping as cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant surged across the United States.

Customers will be able to pick up online orders at the stores, an Apple spokesperson said. The affected stores include outlets at Fifth Avenue, Grand Central and SoHo.

“We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust both our health measures and store services to support the well being of customers and employees,” the company said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Apple said it had temporarily closed three stores in the United States and Canada after a rise in COVID-19 cases and exposures among the stores’ employees.

For the same reason, Apple also mandated that all its customers and employees wear masks at its US stores. Globally, concerns over the Omicron variant have prompted major companies to tighten protocols.

A US court earlier this month ordered the reinstatement of a nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses, which covers 80 million American workers. Opponents of the move have rushed to the Supreme Court to overturn the reinstatement. Apple shares closed up 2.3% at $180.33.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The proposed increase of five percent in the withholding tax (WHT) on telecom services and the standard rate of 17 percent sales tax on import of computers and accessories in the forthcoming mini-budget will severely impact the growth of IT sector, besides compromising the envisaged ICT exports target of $5 billion.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haque, senior government official, and telecom sector expert. The federal government will present the amended Finance Bill, 2021 and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the parliament, after getting approval from the cabinet.

Haque said that the increase in taxes on telecom sector would negatively impact the sector growth, as well as, investment prospects. Experts have urged the government to support the prime minister’s vision of Digital Pakistan by lowering taxes.

They opined that high taxes may jeopardise the Digital Pakistan agenda as millions of Pakistanis are already unable to afford most mobile phone services.Telecom expert Pervez Iftikhar has said that it would have disastrous effects on the overall growth and the ICT exports.

He lamented that the government was moving towards imposing GST on the import of smartphones causing losses to start-ups and overall growth of the ICT sector.

Official sources revealed that the government is likely to raise WHT by 50 percent, increasing it from 10 to 15 percent on telecom customers in the upcoming mini-budget 2021-22. The government had brought down the WHT rate from 12.5 percent to 10 percent in the budget for 2021-22 and made a commitment that it would be further brought down to eight percent in the next budget for 2022-23.

However, the government is now mulling to reverse its decision to raise revenue, with a five-percentage-point hike in advance tax on telecom sector. If the draft proposition is implemented, the cellular advance tax will be raised to a historic high of 15 percent.

The WHT is currently collected at a rate of 10 percent from all telecom users, regardless of their taxable obligations. Majority of the country’s population has non-taxable incomes; these individuals are required to pay the WHT, which they will never be able to recover.

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has opposed any move to impose 17 percent GST on import of computers and accessories arguing that the move would severely impact the growth of the IT sector.

“If the government moves ahead with the imposition of GST at the standard rate of 17 percent on import of computers, laptops, and its others accessories it would negatively impact freelancing, IT exports, and PM’s Vision to make Digital Pakistan,” official sources of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) said.

The official sources said the policy move would increase input cost of necessary tools making it difficult for freelancers and individuals to purchase laptops, computers, and accessories. The IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) export remittances comprising computer services and call centre services surged to $2.123 billion at a growth rate of 47.43 percent in fiscal year 2020-21, compared to $1.44 billion during 2019-2020.

The ICT export remittances for the period July-November fiscal year 2021-22 surged to $1.051 billion at a growth rate of 37.57 percent compared to $764 million during July-November fiscal year 2020-21. In November 2021, the ICT export remittances are $221 million at a growth rate of 31.55 percent when compared to $168 million reported for the month of November 2020, $26 million higher than export remittances during the previous month October 2021. The net exports for the period July-November fiscal year 2021-22 are $797 million, which is 75.83 percent of $1.051 billion in exports. Last year, for the same period, the net exports were $554 million, which was 72.51 percent of $764 million in exports.

The government has envisaged increasing ICT exports to $5 billion by June 2023. However, the estimated target may be hit negatively, if the government impose 17 percent GST on computers, laptops, and its other accessories, said the official.

The Cellular Mobile Operators have also opposed the government’s move for jacking up the WHT by 50 percent. The government is making reversal from its commitment of decreasing taxes on the sector, then how investment can be lured in such circumstances when there is no certainty in policies, said the sources working in the telecom sector, and added that it would be disastrous, if the internet services or SMS would be brought under the tax net.

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) International Packaging Films Limited (IPAK), a packaging firm known for producing high-quality packaging films, has taken sustainability to a new level by incorporating a specialized combo heat recovery system at their power plants in a bid to cut down on carbon emissions.

Having become a major player in the packaging industry in a short amount of time with a focus on maintaining and enhancing the quality of its products, IPAK has adopted a number of practices targeted to control the damaging effects on the environment as much as possible. The most significant initiative taken to conserve and ensure responsible utilization of resources is the installation of a complex and creatively engineered heat recovery system at its power plants, installed in collaboration with Pakistan’s leading engineering enterprise, Descon and IPAK’s value-driven engineering team. The special design of Combo Thermal Oil & Hot Water Waste Heat Recovery System utilizes the residual heat of 3300 KW from jacket water and 3000 KW from exhaust of three gas engines to heat the thermal oil (essentially required in the process) and in absorption cooling. The heat contents from exhaust and from jacket water are being dumped back into the system which otherwise could have caused an environmental imbalance.

Owing to this initiative, the fuel consumption has been reduced significantly thus, leading to a reduction in flue gas production. This trigeneration facility has also elevated the overall system efficiency to 90% while contributing to the economy by reducing gas consumption of thermal oil heater by about 50% and electric consumption through enhanced absorption cooling by 950 tons.

Alongside reducing harmful emissions, waste materials and chemical consumption are being monitored and reduced. To conserve power, all plant motors are set on VFD (Variable-Frequency Drive) mode and all machines are operated at high efficiencies. Moreover, chilling and heating units/machines are fully insulated to avoid any energy loss. The company has also adopted a paperless environment owing to an efficient use of modern technology.

Commenting on these initiatives taken to promote eco-friendliness, Naveed Godil, CEO, International Packaging Films Limited (IPAK) said, “At IPAK, we make sure that everything, from processing to our products, is in line with global standards in terms of quality, as well as, sustainability. We are committed to making our premises, an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible entity; by reducing our ecological footprint and controlling thermal pollution. The reduce, reuse, recycle phenomenon is a part of our training to ensure that our eco-friendly SOPs are followed by all members of staff.”

Celebration in Shangrila City – The new identity of Scheme 45 largest society Karachi

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Aimal Developers CEO Mr. Afzal Hameed fulfilled his promise to his clients and laid the foundation stone of the mosque and park along with the inauguration ceremony of the site office. Afzal Hameed said that we are planning on the emerging Karachi style where every basic amenities, attention to the people, and new lifestyle items for the betterment of the environment are also part of our scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kashan Siddiqui, CEO, Al-Meeraj Marketing, said that this evening is in the name of every hard-working dealer and sub-dealer. He further said that due to unemployment in Karachi people are forced to commit suicide. Encouraging unemployed people, he opened the doors of Al-Miraj Marketing to all those who are worried about unemployment.

Addressing all the big companies, Kashan Siddiqui said that they should provide employment to others so that none of our brothers would lose life tomorrow. He concluded the event by thanked each and every guest and distributed shields among dealers, sub-dealers and sales team towards the end of the event.

This 5 year project includes a secured boundary wall gated society with multiple facilities. There is a theme park for children to enjoy and have wonderful time with their families. Further more, there is a school where your children can get quality education and in case of any emergency or mishap, you can avail quality treatment with advance equipment placed at the community hospital. There is a Jama Mosque situated in the society. To cater the sports & fitness lovers, we are building gym and a cricket ground which is a add-on in our society.

This will be the second largest housing society in Karachi after Bahria Town.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has launched new cyber security services based on its cutting-edge Security Operations Center (SOC) to protect its corporate and financial customers against cyber-attacks. The SOC-based services will reinforce the digital security by building a safety wall against a range of cyber security threats to customers’ data, digital assets and infrastructure.

Being an industry first, PTCL’s cyber security services are the latest edition to its portfolio and is based on the industry’s highest performing ‘integrated’ cyber security platform with a rich ecosystem.

The system enables consistent and reliable security across the extended digital attack surfaces including applications, code, ports, servers and websites, as well as unauthorized system access points. To provide end-to-end protection, PTCL is offering seamless interoperability, complete visibility, and granular control for hybrid deployments including hardware, software, and X-as-a-Service across networks, endpoints, and Clouds.

Commenting on the development, Group Chief Information Officer (GCIO), PTCL & Ufone, Saad Muzaffar Waraich, said, “Cyber security is becoming a major strategic priority for organizations in the present-day and our corporate customers depend on our secure and robust services. PTCL Group continues to innovate and modernize its cyber security offerings to live up to their expectations. Our Security Operations Center (SOC) based cyber security services create an impregnable defensive wall around the digital infrastructure to ensure that our customers’ operations and services work seamlessly. We endeavor to stay ahead of the evolving threats and challenges in the cyber world.”

PTCL developed the Security Operations Center (SOC) to manage and monitor customer infrastructure and services in a managed services model. The platform safeguards their digital assets, data, services and products against cyber threats and also significantly helps reduce their spending on their cyber security infrastructure and its associated operational overheads.