F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: As an important relief to special persons, the caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Justice (R) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah has decided to give waiver in test fee to the disable candidates appearing in all kinds of screening tests under Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA); and now onward disabled candidates appearing in such screening tests will be exempted from test fee.
This, he decided while chairing the 31st meeting of the Board of Governors of KP, ETEA here on Monday. Provincial Caretaker Minister for Higher Education, Dr. Qasim Jan, Secretary Higher Education, Arshad Khan, Secretary Health, Mehmood Aslam and other members of the board attended the meeting. It was decided in the meeting to constitute a committee headed by Provincial Minister Justice (R) Irshad Qaiser for evolving a mechanism to dispose off the cellular phones confiscated from candidates during screening tests.
The committee will come up with final proposals to this end after looking into all the legal and technical aspects of the matter. Various matters related to curb the menace of cheating in examinations and screening tests came under discussion in the meeting; and it was decided to put in place an effective mechanism to curb the illegal use of technological gadgets for cheating in examination and screening tests; and all the concerned stakeholders were directed to sit together and evolve a mechanism in this regard.
It was further decided to take strict action against the networks of individuals involved in breaching the secrecy of examinations and screening tests; and the Chief Minister directed the concerned authorities to work on the required amendments in the relevant laws with the aim to propose more stringent punishment to people involved in such illegal activities, the Chief Minister termed cheating as a menace and a crime against society; and directed all the concerned quarters to sit together and come up with feasible plan of action to curb this menace effectively. The meeting also approved the budget estimates of ETEA for the financial year 2023-24.
KPTMA delegation calls on KP CM: A delegation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textile Mills Association (KPTMA) led by Ex-Senator, Salim Saifullah Khan called on the Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Justice (R) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah here on Monday and apprised him of the problems faced by the Textile Industries of the province with special focus on the exorbitant price hike of gas for industrial sector.
Caretaker Provincial Minister for Industries, Aamir Abdullah, Secretary Industries, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Secretary Energy & Power Nisar Ahmad and other relevant authorities were also present on the occasion. The delegation expressed serious reservations on the recent decision of Economic Coordination Committee with regard to increase the price of gas for industrial sector; and appealed the Chief Minister to take up the issue with the federal government on urgent basis.
The delegation informed that the ECC had taken a decision to enhance the price of industrial gas from Rs. 1238/MMBTU to Rs. 2400/MMBTU adding that it has also taken a decision to supply blended gas to the industries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under which 80% natural gas and 20% RLNG will be supplied to the industries of the province which will further increase the price of industrial gas to Rs. 3100/MMBTU.
KPTMA remarked that if the decision was not reverted by the federal government, then they will be left with no other option but to close down the industries in the province, as it would be impossible for them to run factories with such high rates of gas. The delegation said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was a surplus gas producing province with a total gas production of 550 MMCFD and a total consumption of 200 MMCFD, whereas its industrial gas consumption is only 35 MMCFD; adding that article 158 of the constitution guarantees preference to the gas producing province with regard to the use of gas. The Chief Minister termed the concerns of the delegation as genuine; and ensured to take up the issue with caretaker Prime Minster as soon as possible and hoped that the Prime Minister would consider the concerns of KPTMA favorably.
