S&T Ministry Rs 500m scam | NCA graduates exhibition
Rs 500m scam unearthed in S&T Ministry
Islamabad, April 07: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Muhammad Azam Khan Swati
on Monday claimed to have unearthed a major corruption scam of Rs 500 million in
his ministry. Addressing a press conference here at his ministry, Swati
said he had thwarted a bid made by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)
to buy a 36-year-old discarded boat for Rs 500 million. "This scam was
thwarted as I went to Dubai and hired an expert to evaluate the condition of the
boat on my own expense. The expert said in his report that the boat was only an
iron skeleton of no use," he said while unveiling the details to the
journalists. "On the one hand, our talented students are being denied
their legitimate scholarships for PhD projects owing to the financial crunch and
on the other hand, the countryís wealth is being misused. I would not let it
happen," he said. The minister said that taking strict action on the
report, he had suspended Director General NIO Dr Rabbani and another official
who had allowed the tenders for the purchase of the boat, adding that further
investigation was in progress. He said the objective of the purchase by
the NIO was to use the boat for oceanography as Pakistan had recently extended
its ocean limits from 200 Nautical Miles to 350. "The boat being purchased was
manufactured in year 1973 while now-a-days it was being used for the purpose of
a makeshift hospital for rescue purpose from the rough Sea. You can better
assess the functioning of the boat as a ship manufactured in year 1982 awaits
for wrecking at the Gadani Port," he said. "I myself would submit a
detailed report over the issue to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and
also would reveal the names of those bigwigs of the government who hurled
threats to me to restraint me from the investigation," he added.
Moreover, the minister said the NIO officials have shown ghost offices,
ghost ponds, and ghost vehicles while Rs 35 million have been spent on
renovation of the NIO building, which according to him, was still
"crumbling". Sharing the details of another department of his ministry,
Swati said he was shocked to note that only 27 inspectors appointed by the
Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) were looking after the
quality standards of all thousands of products across the country. "How
27 inspectors could assess the quality of thousands of products? I have summoned
a meeting of the PSQCA on Friday and would also address the issues so as the
rights of 17 crore consumers of Pakistan are protected and the quality standard
of the products could be evaluated properly," he added.
HEC holds workshops for editors of research journals
Islamabad: Higher Education Commission (HEC) in continuation of its
efforts to improve the quality of research in Pakistan has scheduled four
region-wise workshops of editors of HEC recognised journals. In this
regard, the first workshop of the editors of Islamabad and Rawalpindi region was
held recently here at the HEC Headquarters. Ms Jenny Coghlan was the resource
person for the event, who briefly defined the international aspects of indexing
and abstracting the journals, and discussed famous and internationally
recognised indexing agencies with the workshop participants. She also
highlighted the process of peer review and getting the article reviewed
internationally. Prof Dr Riaz Hussain Qureshi, Advisor (QA & LI)
HEC, and Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik, Rector International Islamic University,
Islamabad, were also the key speakers of the event. After Ms Jenny Coghlan's,
the editors were divided into two disciplines of Science and Social Sciences.
The Science Journals Group was presided over by Ms Zia Batool, Director General
(QA) HEC, while the Social Science Journal Group was chaired by Prof Fateh
Muhammad Malik. The News
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NCA graduates open exhibition at Nairang Art Gallery
Lahore: Amna Tariq and Saba Khan, recent graduates of the National College of
Arts (NCA), displayed their new works, prints and paintings at the Nairang Art Gallery on Monday. Both artists have explored multiple politics of
visual language and its diversity through their work. Amna uses multiple layers
of paint and creates sensuous dialogue with the viewer while Saba's prints and
drawings show her linear skills and her strong composition of shifting
imagery. Works: Saba's work is based on a disease called Alzheimer's,
which leads to memory loss after brain damage. Her work becomes figurative but
the thought process seems evident from the work. The colours are befitting and
engage the viewers in their themes. Although the artist is not yet a veteran,
her work is refined with a unique look to it. 'Displaced in Time'- one of Saba's
works depicts the time battle that patients suffering from Alzheimer's go
through. "I was reviewing Alzheimer's patients and tried to determine how the
brain reacts under the influence of this disease," she said. Amna's paintings
are interesting in terms of their meaning. Her work seems to be a comment on
various things. 'Individuality Erased'- one of her works is a critique on women
clad in burqas. It suggests that all women look alike when they are wearing
burqas. Personality: "My paintings show that there is no personality
without a face". The painting portrays a human being without a face, an
interesting idea that amused many. 'In Vain'- one of her works is based on the
human bond that has weakened in the modern age. It suggests that everybody has a
separate way to walk on thus rendering the internal human bond quite weak. Noted
writer Bapsi Sidhwa inaugurated the exhibition. A total of 21 art pieces were
put on display and the prices ranged between Rs 6,000 to Rs 28,000. The
exhibition will remain open until April 17. Daily Times
Debate contest at GCU
Lahore: The Business Accounting and Finance Society of Government College University (GCU) hosted the
1st annual inter-varsity debate contest on current issues pertaining to finance
and economics on Monday. According to a press statement, eight teams
participated in the competition. Hina and Saba Mehmood of Hailey College of
Banking and Finance (HCBF) were adjudged first and second and consequently they
bagged the team trophy while Sara from Fast University got third
position.
University of Central Punjab Convocation
The seventh convocation of the University of Central Punjab is scheduled to be held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal , Egerton
Road, Lahore, on April 8, 2009. Punjab Governor Salman Taseer will be the chief
guest while Lt Gen (Retd) Khalid Maqbool will be the guest of honour. The News
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