Finance and Health Minister Harish Rao (File Photo)
Hyderabad: Telangana State is creating wonders in the health sector and even the Niti Ayog has also appreciated the progress of Telangana, Minister for Health T Harish Rao said.
Speaking to media reports after laying a foundation stone for the 100 bed hospital at Choutuppal in Nalgonda district on Tuesday, Minister Harish Rao said the State government under the leadership of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was taking various steps to improve the health standards in Telangana and reminded that it had launched eight medical colleges in the last year and 102 kidney dialysis centres across the State for providing the best services to the people.
Accusing the BJP government at the Centre of showing discrimination towards the Telangana in allocation for funds, Harish Rao said that the State government had allocated 200 acres of land to AIIMS Bibinagar in 2018, but the Centre had taken four years to inaugurate the hospital.
“The BJP leaders do less work but publicise themselves much. They want to take credit for even small works,” he pointed out.
He also informed that the works of Warangal health city project was going on at the brisk pace and its project would be completed by December.
Bengaluru: With rebels giving a headache to the BJP in Karnataka ahead of the May 10 Assembly election, the party has given the responsibility of assuaging the dissidence to former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, state unit BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Lakshman Savadi in the Yediyurappa-led Cabinet has recently quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the Congress.
Reacting to this, BJP in-charge for Karnataka polls, Arun Singh, on Friday said Savadi will not have any future in the Congress party.
“He has committed a blunder by joining Congress. He will repent,” Singh said.
“The doors would be permanently closed for those who deserted the party. It might take 20 years for the party to accept them back. His decision is selfish,” Arun Singh has stated.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he was sad as Savadi saw a political future with the Congress.
Talking to reporters here on Friday, he said “it is common that there will be more aspirants in the ruling party. The party workers are with them”.
“The BJP will win the coming Assembly election with a thumping majority. Some of them have quit the party to become MLAs but the BJP workers are with them,” Bommai said.
The chief minister said the second list of candidates has already been released and the third list will be out soon. He will be filing his nomination papers in Shiggaon on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Mine, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi has stated that he is confident of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar getting a ticket.
The matter has been discussed with the national president and everything will end well, he said.
“The BJP won’t give tickets to fathers and sons like Congress. There were many candidates in the BJP party and this has led to confusion. The winning party will have more demand. In another two days, these confusions will end,” Joshi said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka unit Congress president D.K. Shivakumar said that 25 leaders of the BJP and the JD-S will join the Congress in the coming days.
“BJP will only win 60 seats and JD-S will not get more than 24 seats. The Congress is going to win 141 seats,” he said.
Pulwama, Mar 27: A talented woman from South Kashmir has created the world’s smallest Shikara in Mandala Art, getting entry in Indian Book of Records.
Mahira Shah (24), a resident of Pinglish Tral who has got married in Sallar Pahalgam has made pieces of different things that are uniquely associated with Kashmir so as to promote Kashmir.
Mahira told news agency–news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that she is a self-taught mandala artist as she was interested in the art since her childhood and started making different art pieces in 2008.
“In 2008, I started doing paintings and sculptures but as I proceeded to make myself better in this field of art, my art pieces were not so attractive following which I got an idea of making mandala art and succeeded in it,” Mahira said.
“With the blessings of Allah, I became interested in creating/breaking world records. With this dedication I created the world’s first and smallest Shikara in mandala art,” she said.
“When I made the shikara in mandala art with the intention of making a world record. I applied for the Indian Book of Records recently and after being verified by the team, I got confirmation mail from them of creating a world record,” she added.
According to Mahira, who is a mother of one, they nominated her for the gold medal as well.
She said that before marriage, her parents were very supportive to her and after the marriage her in-laws are also supporting her very well.
“Since my childhood, I had a passion to promote Kashmir and things related to Kashmir in the whole World, she said, adding, so far she has made different art pieces that are widely appreciated,” Mahira said.
She claimed that she had also made another world record of making kangri in mandala art and has applied for Asian Books of Records, however, she is expecting confirmation in this regard very soon.
“My prior message for our youth is to be consistent in any field you are trying to conquer, and never losing hope and most of all todays youth got so much demoted that they are commiting suicides,” she said.
Mahira said she is looking to get appreciation and encouragement from people as well as the administration—(KNO)
This leaves all three countries under various degrees of U.S.-led sanctions regimes — and, unsurprisingly, they are starting to work more closely together. Iran is in the final stages of achieving full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security forum led by China and Russia. China helped broker an entente between Iran and Saudi Arabia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is “increasingly concerned” that China might supply weapons to Russia to assist Ukraine. The relationship between Iran and Russia has mushroomed during the course of the war in Ukraine, with NSC spokesman John Kirby labeling it “a full-scale defense partnership.”
The United States has valid reasons to oppose all three countries. China is a peer competitor that has behaved in an increasingly autocratic and bellicose manner during Xi Jinping’s rule. Iran’s regime remains wildly illiberal, pursuing policies that have threatened U.S. allies in the Middle East. Russia’s actions in Ukraine speak for themselves. Still, when you throw in allegations like North Korea allegedly selling weaponry to Russia, it sometimes seems as though the United States has inspired its own less comical Legion of Doom.
This nascent alliance feeds into an American predilection for lumping all U.S. adversaries into the same basket. During the heyday of the Cold War many U.S. policymakers assumed that the communist bloc was monolithic. In this century, parts of the foreign policy community have frequently posited that the United States faces an Axis of Something. In January 2002, George W. Bush called out Iran, Iraq, and North Korea in his State of the Union address, warning that “states like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.” While none of these countries were paragons of virtue, neither were they cooperating with each other or with Al Qaeda. A decade later during the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney’s foreign policy warned about an emerging axis of authoritarianism. Romney’s warning was dismissed at the time, but over the past year observers from across the political spectrum have wholeheartedly embraced the idea. The vague unease that U.S. observers feel because most of the Global South is not on board with the sanctioning of Russia feeds into this fear that much of the world is uniting against the United States.
In the current moment, it is difficult to deny that Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, et al are taking actions that run contrary to U.S. interests. It is not obvious, however, that the cooperation between these countries is anything more than tactical in nature. For Iran and North Korea, any opportunity to tweak the United States’ hand and break out of their current economic isolation is a welcome move. Similarly, Russia is desperate for assistance from any quarter as a means of combatting the toll that sanctions and the war are inflicting on the Russian economy. All of the historical grievances and anxieties that Russia, China and Iran have in dealing with each other have not magically disappeared, they have simply been sublimated by their collective resistance to U.S. pressure.
The United States can respond to this emerging coalition in one of two ways, both unappetizing. One approach is to embrace the Manichean worldview and continue to adopt policies that oppose these cluster of countries for the foreseeable future. When one examines each country in this nascent Legion of Doom, the United States has valid grounds for sanctions and other forms of containment. Iran has been pursuing a nuclear weapons program and a ballistic missile program, and expended considerable funds to destabilize U.S. allies in the Middle East. Russia has repeatedly invaded its neighbors and bears responsibility for starting the largest land war in Europe since World War II. Beyond that blatant fact, Vladimir Putin has been quite willing to make mischief in NATO countries, ranging from disinformation campaigns to assassination attempts on dissidents. China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy abroad and increased repression at home do not square with being a responsible stakeholder. North Korea is… well, it’s North Korea.
While lumping America’s adversaries together might feel conceptually appealing, it also creates complications. First, it makes it that much harder to build coalitions of containment. India might be on board with containing China, for example, but historical ties will make it harder to oppose Russia. The U.S. will have little choice but to rely on ad hoc coalitions that do not entirely synch up.
The bigger problem is that the Manichean worldview overlooks the myriad ways that U.S. foreign policy has thrived when it divided rather than united opposing coalitions. A key element of George Kennan’s doctrine of containment was exploiting fissures in the communist bloc. This led to warming ties with Tito’s Yugoslavia in the 1950s and Mao’s China in the 1970s. Neither of these countries resembled anything close to a liberal democracy, but the United States found common cause with them to focus on the greater threat — the Soviet Union. (In a weird way, this point lies at the root of GOP opposition to supporting Ukraine against Russia. For some in the MAGA crowd, China is the bigger threat and therefore any opposition of Russia is either wasted effort or pushing the two largest land powers in Asia closer together.)
The paradox for American policymakers is that of all the countries opposing the United States, China is simultaneously the biggest threat and also the country that would be ripest for more positive outreach. By any metric, China is the only country that comes close to being a peer competitor to the United States. Opposing China is one of the few foreign policies that inspires genuinely bipartisan support. At the same time, compared to the likes of Russia, or North Korea, China is the Legion of Doom member with the greatest equities in the current international system. The primary reason China’s support of Russia has been limited to date is because Beijing benefits far more from its trade with the rest of the world than with Russia. This week’s summit between Putin and Xi should offer some clues about just how robust their partnership is growing.
For U.S. policymakers, the question going forward will be to choose from a set of unsavory options. They can continue to implement a foreign policy that midwifes an anti-American coalition. They can prioritize containing China and soften their approach toward countries that pose a more proximate threat to the United States and its allies and partners. Or they can decide that China is the devil they know best and try to foster a new equilibrium in the Sino-American relationship.
Given the unsteady state of the world, repairing the Sino-American relationship is the option that offers the most promise. Given the unsteady state of American politics, however, it is regrettably the option that both President Joe Biden and his Republican opponents may be least likely to embrace.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Haridwar: On the occasion of Holi, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev appealed to people not to consume ‘bhaang’, and to celebrate the festival with togetherness and brotherhood.
Baba Ramdev celebrated the festival at the Namami Gange Ghat by playing the Holi with flowers.
Talking to the media, he said, “Those who create a ruckus by getting intoxicated, I would like to appeal to them to celebrate the festival of Holi with peace and harmony and wish each other with colours full of love.”
The Yoga Guru said that consuming ‘bhaang’ on Holi and then creating mischief by applying chemical colours is not the tradition of Holi.
“Flowers are blooming all around in nature. Similarly, the colours of nature came in our lives too. Holi is not a festival of any kind of pollution and intoxication. People of all religions should celebrate the Holi festival together and maintain brotherhood among themselves,” Ramdev Baba said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wished the citizens of the country on occasion. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, “Best wishes for Holi. May the colours of joy and enthusiasm always shower in your life. Wishing you all a happy and colourful Holi!.”
The festival of Holi which celebrates the spirit of inclusiveness and humanity heralds the onset of spring after winter in the Indian subcontinent.
The festival marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated on two days – Holika Dahan and Holi Milan. On Tuesday, Delhi Police deployed drone cameras to monitor Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid and tightened security on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat and Holika Dahan.
Elaborate security arrangements were made near Jama Masjid in the national capital as both festivals were celebrated together. Shab-e-Barat and Holika Dahan are celebrated with great fanfare across India.
Since 1997 when the first cloned mammal was born in Europe, there have been many abortive bids to use the technology in India. It was only in 2009, when Kashmir scientist, Dr Riyaz A Shah’s specially designed technique led to two cloned buffaloes in NDRI Karnal. Back home, after his PhD, he gave Kashmir the first cloned Pashmina goat, Noori, who is already a granny. In a detailed interview with Masood Hussain, Dr Riyaz explains his challenges and successes and his current research focus at SKUAST-K
TheNewsCaravan (KL): What is cloning and what are its applications?
DR RIYAZ AHMAD SHAH (DRAS): In normal conditions, animal breeding takes place by sexual reproduction, in which males and females physically get together to reproduce. However, cloning is an assisted reproductive technology, where the cells of either a male or female animal are taken and developed in laboratory conditions until an embryo is formed. It is then implanted in a surrogate mother. The offspring is born after it completes its gestation period. The process is efficient as it allows farmers to increase the number of their herds by providing more copies of the best-quality breed in the herd. In 1997, the world witnessed its first cloned mammal in the form of a sheep called Dolly, a female Finnish Dorset sheep cloned from an adult somatic cell
KL: Before we talk about your contributions to cloning, kindly tell us about your learning curve and the entire journey from your schools to SKUAST-K.
DRAS: I was born and raised in Batmaloo Srinagar. I did my early schooling at a local school and then joined Tyndale Biscoe for further studies. I aspired to be a doctor but couldn’t crack the entrance test; so, I ended up in veterinary science. I graduated from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). Owing to a good number of vacancies in the field, I got a job immediately after completing my degree. However, the thirst for learning more and being mentored by professors who had completed their studies from other states inspired me to go for further studies outside Kashmir. I cracked the prestigious national veterinary entrance test and was post-graduated from Indian Veterinary Research Institute Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
I came back to Kashmir and worked in the Department of Animal Husbandry for some years. In 1998, I joined SKUAST as an Assistant Professor. Initially, I was posted at Cattle Farm in Manasbal, Ganderbal. It proved to be a good learning experience. In 2005, I got admission as an in-service PhD candidate at National Dairy Research Institute. There, I came across a group who were working on cloning at that time. Interested, I joined them. The group had been working on a project of cloning buffalo. The group was struggling to form a cloned embryo since 1997 but could not succeed. I took the challenge and my PhD guide Dr S K Singla encouraged me for it. It took me nearly two years to standardize various techniques related to cloning but I succeeded.
KL: What were the major takeaways of your PhD programme?
DRAS: The topic of my research was the production of handmade cloned embryos in buffalos. The embryo formed in the laboratory was transferred to a surrogate mother. It was sheer luck that I got the best quality cloned embryos. After completing the gestation period, a healthy buffalo was born on February 6, 2009, at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal. It was named Samrupa, the world’s first cloned buffalo calf. It made headlines throughout the world. I did not anticipate such a positive outcome. The calf, however, succumbed to lung infection a few days after it was born.
It was followed by another healthy and normal cloned calf named Garima, born on June 6, 2009.
KL: How many scientists were successful in the process of cloning development before you?
DRAS: My guide, Dr SK Singla, already had his PhD in clone generation under his credit but he remained unsuccessful in the formation of a live and healthy cloned progeny. During the course of my research, two other students were working on the same topic. However, they failed to get any positive results. Samrupa was the first live birth of a cloned buffalo at the institute and proved to be a milestone. Since then the institute has produced 20-25 cloned buffalos. The process involved in Samrupa and Garima acted as a road map for the researchers, who are now merging it with the science of gene editing to incorporate the selective qualities in the cloned organisms.
KL: When you were back home, you cloned Noori, the first Pashmina goat in March 2012?
DRAS: After I finished my PhD and returned to SKUAST, we started working on the Pashmina goat clone. We had to first set up facilities here at the SKUAST campus in Shuhama because we lacked the infrastructure. With project funding of Rs 2.50 crore from the Indian Council for Research (ICR), we were able to acquire basic equipment for our research.
Our objective was to develop a cloned embryo, implant it into a female and get a viable cloned organism. Noori was one of the clones. While earlier researchers had tried to develop clones of various species but Pashmina goat was never experimented on. So, we had to start from scratch. We isolated and cultured the cells of the Pashmina goat. We conducted a study on the different species that can provide oocytes. We had to employ the Pashmina goat’s somatic cells and an egg from a different species.
Since people do not prefer goat meat in Kashmir, we had to get access to the ovaries of goats from a slaughterhouse in Delhi. This made the process a bit hectic and it took us two years to standardize the techniques. However, we got successful in the development of cloned embryos, which were then implanted into a surrogate mother. After 20-25 unsuccessful trials, Noori was our first live cloned Pashmina goat. Noori is currently living a normal and healthy life. It has given birth to 5-6 offspring via the natural reproductive process. Noori has also been a source of Pashmina wool like other naturally produced Pashmina goats.
Dr Riyaz A Shah (SKUAST-K)
KL: What are the differences between naturally reproduced organisms and cloned ones?
DRAS: A clone is genetically as good as a naturally bred organism. Cloning allows choosing the characters and traits we want in an organism, thus allowing farmers to increase the overall quality of their breed. Cloning also enables the production of the desired gender of a species. Farmers for example prefer a cow over a bull, cloning helps them have as many cows as they desire.
KL: How different is Noori from her mother and her own offspring?
DRAS: Noori’s mother was a naturally bred Pashmina goat. Its embryo was implanted in a surrogate mother, who also happened to have naturally reproduced. After Noori’s birth, we studied its physiology and other parameters and found it and its progeny as good as any other Pashmina goat. We concluded that it can be used for the same purposes as we do use a normal goat. Also, there is no restriction on it or its progeny being used as food.
KL: What has been your research focus since you completed the landmark Noori’s project?
DRAS: After Noori’s success, we approached various institutes for funding our projects. We got successful and secured a project, where we introduced gene editing in cloning. We tried to incorporate CRISPR-Cas9, a naturally occurring genome editing system in our research. We identified the gene responsible for Pashmina production in Noori and now we are trying to edit the gene so that the cloned progeny will be a source of good quality and improved quantity of Pashmina. We are nearly successful in creating gene-edited and cloned embryos. We are hopeful that we will soon be able to witness its progeny as well.
Simultaneously we are working on gene editing in sheep, where our focus is to increase meat production. This is a collaborative project with ICR, while scientists outside with the same objective are working on buffaloes; we are at the same time working on sheep.
KL: What ethical issues do genetically modified organisms (GMOs) face?
DRAS: One of the main ethical issues that GMOs face is their uncontrolled use. Many countries have allowed using GMOs as food. But yes scientists first have to make sure that gene editing does not lead to any abnormality in the organism.
SRINAGAR: CPI(M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami has asserted that the ongoing so called anti-land encroachment drive and eviction has on ground generated fear among the common masses.
In a statement issued in Jammu today, the CPI(M) leader said, while big land grabbers have to be identified and action be taken strictly under law, the manner and the method used to evict the alleged land encroachers, especially the peasants, marginal farmers, small shopkeepers and those living in small houses constructed years back, sends a message that the administration is insensitive to the interests and sentiments of the general public and that of the individuals and organisations which express resentment against the reckless drive and coercive manner of the evictions.
“If the present Campaign of eviction attains roughshod propostions, it will generate more resentment,” said Tarigami in a statement.
The present ‘drive’ gives the impression as if the administration has waged a ‘war’ against the public, he said.
The selection of areas and individuals for bulldozing, creates doubts regarding the real intentions of the administration.The eviction campaign seems selective and discriminatory, he added.
Referring to the Chief Secretary’s latest directions to the officers regarding action against those who dare to criticize the handling of the eviction drive, Tarigami affirmed that it speaks of a highhanded approach of the dispensation.
“Those at the helm should keep in mind that it has to function under the Constitution and it should not give the impression that there is an undeclared emergency in J&K. This will in no way serve the cause of peace, law and order and the larger interests of the country,” said Tarigami in a statement.
SRINAGAR: Accusing the Jammu & Kashmir administration of creating homelessness, Peoples Conference President Sajad Gani Lone on Monday said that “New Delhi shouldn’t be represented by bulldozers in Kashmir, but by love and compassion.”
Addressing a news conference here, as per news agency KNO Lone said the objective of the ongoing eviction drive seems humiliation of Kashmiris.
“What is the objective of the government? Do they want to retrieve land or humiliate people? I think humiliation is more important for them,” he said.
Lone said that the current administration in J&K is not an elected regime and should leave bigger decisions for an elected government.
“(President’s Rule) It is a temporary arrangement. They cannot take decisions on behalf of the people of J&K. They cannot take all decisions. They are not elected by the people,” Lone told reporters here.
Lone, who was flanked by senior PC leaders Peerzada Mansoor Hussain and Muhammad Ashraf Mir, said that the J & K administration is inventing homelessness by razing down homes of poor people. “They are not giving any notice. The law of the land cannot be violated,” he said, adding that only poor are suffering due to the ongoing eviction drive in J&K.
“I want to ask my Prime Minister who is the Prime Minister of poor people whose houses are demolished. Where will poor people go?” he asked.
Hyderabad: Telangana’s Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Monday alleged that the Centre is creating hurdles in the development of the state.
Presenting the State Budget for 2023-24 in the Assembly, he said while Telangana has been achieving significant development through its own efforts, the Central government has been creating hurdles after hurdles.
He slammed the union government for reducing the state’s borrowing limit and said that in order to complete the irrigation projects within the shortest time, Telangana government resorted to off-budget borrowings well within the limits of FRBM Act.
“During the current year, based on our economic performance and borrowing limits, an amount of Rs 53,970 crore has been included in the Budget as borrowings. But the Central government unilaterally imposed a cut of Rs 15,033 crore and reduced our borrowing limits to Rs 38,937 crore. This decision of the Centre is totally unjustified and uncalled for. These kinds of cuts are against the spirit of federalism and have eroded the rights of the States,” he said.
Harish Rao alleged that the Centre has broken the tradition of implementing in toto the recommendations of the Finance Commission.
The 15th Finance Commission recommended a special grant of Rs.723 crore to Telangana and an amount of Rs 171 crore towards nutrition to ensure that the tax devolution should not be less than the amount of devolution received by the State in 2019-20. By not accepting these recommendations, the Central government denied Telangana of its due share in the Finance Commission grants.
He said in the history Aof the country, no government has ignored the recommendations of the Finance Commission in such a blatant manner.
He termed as totally undemocratic, the Centre’s indifference in the implementation of many provisions in the Parliament enacted Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act.
Harish Rao pointed out that A.P. Reorganization Act mandates the Central government to provide tax concessions to the successor States in order to ensure industrialization and economic growth in the two States. By providing only nominal concessions, the Central government has ignored the interests of both the States.
“Under section 94(2) of the A.P.Reorganization Act, the Central government shall provide funds for the development of backward areas. Though the Centre is supposed to release a grant of Rs 450 crore per annum, grants for three years amounting to Rs 1,350 crore have not been released.”
The state Finance Minister told the Assembly that NITI Aayog has recommended that a grant of Rs 19,205 crore for Mission Bhagiratha and Rs 5,000 crore for Mission Kakatiya may be released by the Centre to Telangana.
But the Central government has not released even one paise so far, he claimed.
“The 13th Schedule of the A.P.Reorganization Act has mandated the Centre to take necessary steps and to establish institutions for the sustained development of the State in the next 10 years. The Centre by its negligent attitude has not resolved many issues so far.
“Establishment of a Rail Coach Factory at Kazipet, Bayyaram Steel Plant and Girijan University have been specifically mentioned in the Reorganization Act. These mandates have not been fulfilled even after eight and a half years. In addition, the ITIR sanctioned to Telangana has been shelved.
“Another glaring instance of discrimination to Telangana is the order issued by the Union Power Ministry in August 2022. In this order, Telangana government has been directed to pay pending dues of TS DISCOMs amounting to Rs 3,441.78 crore as principal and Rs 3,315.14 crore as late payment surcharge, totaling to Rs 6,756.92 crore to A.P.Genco within 30 days. Though Telangana has been pleading with the Central government regarding dues amounting to Rs.17,828 crore payable by Andhra Pradesh to Telangana Power Utilities, the request has been ignored without any reason. Left with no option, the Telangana government had to approach the Court of Law,” he added.
Islamabad: The IMF has expressed concern that Pakistan’s opposition parties might create hurdles in the way of implementing the tough economic decisions of the cash-strapped Shehbaz Sharif-led government, media reports said on Wednesday.
The views of the global lender came as a high-level delegation led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission Chief Nathan Porter on Tuesday met Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials as part of the opening session of 10-day long talks for the completion of the much-delayed programme review for a bailout package.
Porter raised the question about the implication of the opposition’s role in difficult decisions that Pakistan would have to take to avoid the default, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
“The fund had concerns that the opposition might create some problems in the way of rolling out additional taxation measures that the government was planning to impose to revive the talks,” it quoted Porter as saying.
However, Finance Minister Dar assured the IMF mission head that the government believed in political dialogue and there was nothing to worry about.
Dar stated that the government would try to enforce additional taxes in a manner that would avoid any untoward legal and political challenges, the report said, citing sources.
The government was planning to promulgate a presidential ordinance but in case the IMF concerns remained, it might bring an act of parliament. Parliament route would take at least 14 days before the new taxes were implemented, the report said.
Pakistan signed a USD 6 billion IMF programme during Imran Khan’s government in 2019, which was increased to USD 7 billion last year.
The programme’s ninth review is currently pending with talks being held between IMF officials and the government for the release of USD 1.18 billion.
But the IMF suspended disbursements in November last year due to Pakistan’s failure to make more progress on fiscal consolidation amidst the political turmoil in the country.
As part of the tough decisions, the Pakistani government on Tuesday hiked the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) by 30 per cent and finalised a minimum of Rs 6 per unit average increase in electricity rates between now and August, according to a report in the Dawn newspaper.
During the talks, Dar assured the IMF team that Pakistan would soon roll out a plan to reduce the gas sector’s circular debt by half to around Rs700 billion.
Dar, according to the finance ministry, said that reforms were being introduced in the power sector and a high-level committee had been formed for devising modalities to offset the menace of circular debt in the gas sector.
