ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has asked Pakistan to cut wasteful spending to create fiscal space for utilising funds on infrastructure needs and achieve Millennium Development Goals. A bank study by Jou Ko Kinnunen and Hans Lofgren titled ‘Infrastructure for growth and human development in Pakistan’ presented different scenarios, including high growth, medium growth and low growth between 2013 and 2022 and achieving goals during the period. The study reveals that across the sources of fiscal space, the most positive welfare and growth effects from infrastructure expansion are realised if the government manages to curb growth in wasteful spending — spending without identified positive impacts on productivity, welfare, or human development.
Smart identity cards for kids
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Registration and Database Authority (Nadra) are all set to issue the same smart card for children under the age of 18, after launch of chip based Smart National Identity Card for the adult population of the country. Official sources said here yesterday that the chip-based card will be distinguished from Child Registration Certificate as it will become an ‘entitlement document’ with multiple facilities. The launch of this state-of-the-art Smart Identity Card is to extend an experience of hi-tech security solution for the protection of juveniles identity. Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik said the chip-based Smart Identity Card for the children will offer multi-dimensional usage and services, health, educational, social and financial inclusion programmes.
Mild quake jolts parts of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale jolted Islamabad and parts of Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir, Pakistan yesterday. Panic gripped the residents of the federal capital, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Jehlm, Gujranwala, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Azad Kashmir and other cities. The epicentre was some 119km southeast of Sringar in Kashmir at the depth of 10km, the Met Department said. Agencies
