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August 14, 2022: National / International Current Affairs
1. Pakistan emerges as 24th largest economy in 75-year journey
• The structure of economy has drastically changed since Pakistan`s inception in 1947 with industry and then services sectors dominated the economy, says a finance ministry report released on August 13, 2022.
• The report gives a glimpse of the country`s 75-year economic journey, with all major economic indicators seeing massive changes over the period.
• At the time of the independence in 1947, Pakistan inherited only 34 industrial units out of the 921 in undivided India.
• The nominal GDP rose from $3 billion in 1950 to $383bn in 2022, while GDP growth was recorded at 5.97pc in 2022 compared to 1.8pc in 1950. Per capita income jumped from $86 in 1950 to $1,798 in 2022
2. Extreme weather claims 14 more lives
• At least 14 people were killed in Balochistan and Sindh on August 13, 2022 in rain-related accidents as heavy downpour wreaked havoc in the two provinces.
• The fresh spell of monsoon rains, causing flash floods, claimed the lives of 10 people in Balochistan, while at least four were killed in Karachi. The death toll in Balochistan during the current monsoon season has reached 190.
• Flash floods caused massive destruction in Qila Abdullah and Qila Saifullah, where hundreds of mud houses were washed away in hill torrents, while at least a dozen people were still missing
3. AJK tables bill seeking separate body for holding LB polls
• Only two days after the announcement of the schedule for the long overdue local bodies (LB) elections, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Saturday tabled a constitutional amendment bill in the Legislative Assembly withdrawing this responsibility from the region`s election commission.
• The 15th constitutional amendment bill, which was tabled in the house by minister for local government and rural development Khawaja Farooq Ahmed with the full backing of the two major opposition parties Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) -envisaged creation of a separate election commission for local government bodies, as used to exist before the 13th constitutional amendment of 2018
4. Local NGOs allowed to help flood-hit families
• The government has allowed all local nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to conduct relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in flood-affected provinces for six months from August 2022 to February 2023.
• It may be recalled that in 2013, the government introduced a policy for `regulation of organisations receiving foreign contributions`.
• The policy serves as a framework to facilitate the NGO sector in accessing foreign funding for their planned activities. Thus, only those local NGOs can carry out relief activities in the flood battered provinces which have met the required criteria.
• Over one million people have been affected by heavy rains and floods across Pakistan during the prevalent monsoon season.
• A total of 580 people have been killed and another 939 injured
5. 42 SMEs in Balochistan get funds for agribusiness
• Forty two small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector of Balochistan were on August 13, 2022 provided Rs27 million to uplift their business potential under a project of European Union.
• Balochistan`s acting governor Mir Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali distributed the cheques among the enterprises based in Quetta, Pishin, Noshki, Kharan, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Panjgur, Kech, Zhob and Musakhel.
• The distribution was held under the European Union funded Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and Food and Agriculture Organisation
