Tag Archives: help

pakistan

Pervez Khattak said maximum assistance was given to the masses | Instant News


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Food & Drink

Louis Mobile Food Market will be in your Community in Partnership with St. Louis. Louis Area Foodbank Listing for August 1 – 21 | Instant News




Louis Mobile Food Market will be in your Community in Partnership with St. Louis Area Foodbank Listing for August 1 – 21 | RiverBender.com





















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Travel

It’s a strange time to travel | To select | Instant News


Next week we will be in Pennsylvania to visit our daughter who is at school in Erie on Lake Erie This will be one of our most unique trips as face masks are needed for almost the entire trip . Traveling is just not what it used to be. Do you remember when people smoked cigarettes in the middle of the flight? A little light came on to tell the passengers it was time to put out their cigarettes, we were going to land. Smokers who flew on the plane at the time were very upset when new rules banned smoking on board. I have a feeling these same people would be really unhappy with the requirement to wear a mask for the entire flight We received an email reminding us that anyone over 2 years old must also wear a mask at airports except when we were We were also told that we would receive an “ all-in-one ” snack bag that included a wrapped disinfectant wipe, an 8.5 ounce water bottle and two snacks, as well as a sealed drink on flights over 2 hours and 20 minutes. “On flights shorter than that, we’ll have a sealed drink and that’s it. No more friendly flight attendant taking our drink order. Erie is quite close to Niagara Falls. We were wondering if we could see it or not, as people like to go to the Canadian side for a better view, and the border between the US and Canada is closed at least until the end of August. which is the boat that takes you near the falls, was closed in June, it is now open on the US side and available for people in good health, wearing masks and willing to stand at least 6 feet from other people on a small boat .Fort Niagara opened in July and is available for healthy masked visitors, which is the same for all the restaurants we stop at. There won’t be any buffets though, and it looks like food “that requires minimal preparation” will be the rule. Fortunately, Pennsylvania is not on the list of states that require a 14-day quarantine when we arrive home. We were also assured that the plane is cleaned within an inch of its life and that airports will be cleaner than our homes. Still, we have small containers of disinfectant to use liberally when we feel too far away from a sink and soap, and we’ll avoid other people like the plague. our face, and white where the mask was. It’s a strange time to travel. .



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Food & Drink

Food Bank of Alaska prepares for CARES Act unemployment may end | Instant News


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Tens of thousands of Alaskans have been faced with food insecurity since the pandemic began according to the Food Bank of Alaska. The leaders there have seen the number of people asking for help recently stabilized, and they attribute it to an additional $ 600 per week for unemployed people who can be exhausted by the end of the month.

The Director of Public Engagement for the Alaska Food Bank, Cara Durr, said food insecurity is measured by third parties every six months. In January, he said around 95,000 people across the state experienced food insecurity. Since then, figures show that the rate has jumped 44%, adding around 42,000 to that count.

“Recently, it’s a little flat,” said Durr. “Obviously it is still increasing, but at the moment we are only worried about what happens at the end of the month if unemployment increases that the federal government has provided endless.”

Durr said the food bank had received many federal resources, assistance from donors, and assistance from local donations and food encouragement to meet demand. He said if resources and benefits are used up, compassion can only feed people so far.

“We all struggle,” he said. “And when this continues, we may have benefited from generosity and this cannot continue forever.”

However, they have gotten a lot of food during the pandemic. Durr said that they had “quite a maximum” at their current storage facility and were looking to secure additional storage.

That being said, food goes fast and moves in most states quickly. When the Channel 2 reporter talked with Durr on Monday, there was enough shelf space in the entire warehouse today.

While they were waiting to find out the fate of the additional benefits, Durr said the food bank and their partners had worked with the Alaska congressional delegation to get more support from Washington.

In addition to advocating for extended benefits, he said they have worked with them to get more encouragement for SNAP and EBT programs, as well as funding and capacity resources for food banks across the board.

Many parts are moving to make sure people eat in the short term, but Durr says they have thought about how long they could potentially try to meet increasing needs.

“We know this will be an ongoing situation. We know that even when the pandemic ends, there may be a very long economic recovery related to this. So we know that the needs will be long-term and that’s where we try to put our minds, “he said.

The Alaska Food Bank has 150 partners throughout the state according to Durr. He said people who need help can find a center near them here or by calling 211.

Copyright KTUU 2020. All rights reserved.

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pakistan

Artists want the KP government’s decision on the aid package to be reversed | Instant News


PESHAWAR: Artists on Wednesday called on the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to reverse his decision on the possible cessation of grants to the artist community, saying authorities should continue to support the community because of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement issued by Hunari Tolana Welfare Society, an artist organization including singers, playwright actors, they said that several private organizations and individuals came to provide aid packages to around 400 artists but it was regrettable that the KP Culture Directorate did not take one step to improve the misery of the people.

The artists asked the KP government to review their decision because other provinces had announced giving special assistance packages to artists and songwriters.

“Through reliable sources, we know that the higher authorities in the province have rejected the summary of grants for the artist community even though other provincial governments have announced compensation and grants for artists,” said one artist. He said that the KP government would reverse its decision within three days or they would protest in all provinces for their rights. The artists will protest against the KP government’s anti-cultural policies and will even line up in Banigala to inform Prime Minister Imran Khan about their plight.

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pakistan

CNG consumers have not received any assistance despite cuts in oil and gas prices | Instant News


PESHAWAR: Consumers of compressed natural gas (CNG) have not received a reduction in commodity prices despite the dramatic decline in oil and gas prices on the international market.

At the gas station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, CNG is sold at Rs139 per kg even though oil and gas prices have drastically reduced on the international market due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government last month reduced the price of gasoline by Rs15 per liter against the proposed reduction of Rs20.68, lowering the price to Rs81.58 per liter compared to the previous Rs96.58. Also, Rs27.15 per liter was cut in the price of high speed diesel which is now sold at Rs80.10 per liter compared to the previous level of Rs107.25. However, no cuts in CNG prices, which are alternatives to gasoline, have been announced so far in a situation when the whole world goes through a financial crisis and energy prices drop unexpectedly.

Oil and gas consumption has also fallen in the country, reducing oil import bills to a reasonable level, but there is no benefit from reducing oil prices but still seeing falling prices on international markets being passed on to consumers or assistance provided in the gas or CNG sector. It is no exaggeration to say that scapegoats are end consumers who have to suffer from high oil and gas prices and are being deceived by gas station owners through counterfeiting in gasoline and filling air in gas cylinders instead of CNG. The government on the one hand seems to be least interested in providing benefits to consumers and on the other hand cannot continue to check prices, quality and quantity.

Ironically, the government or local government has difficulty checking gas or CNG stations where consumers are deceived by filling in oil or air below standard or lower quantity than gas, which has become the main complaint of consumers. On the other hand, the All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) has also asked the government to reduce CNG prices by 40 percent to benefit motorists.

In a recent statement, association chairman Ghiyas Paracha said the price of gas in the country was related to international oil levels so that it could be reduced by 40 percent after an unprecedented decline in crude oil prices. He said any increase in oil prices on international markets was carried out in the country without delay but people would still lose profits if prices fell.

He argued that although oil prices fell sharply, gas companies did not reduce prices in Pakistan to benefit consumers. He said the company got billions of rupees despite knowing the fact that the CNG sector and consumers were devastated by the lockdown.

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Food & Drink

Corona virus pandemic: the USDA program supplies food banks, creating jobs in Southern California | Instant News


INGLEWOOD, California (KABC) – Just two months ago, Jennifer Dorantes lost her job as a dental assistant due to a coronavirus emergency. But, he quickly switched from filling the crown to quality control at Inglewood’s food factory, Don Lee Farms.

“Temperature must be good, weight must be good, everything must be perfect. Food must be of good quality so we can send it,” said Dorantes, who works at Don Lee Farms at a cheaper price. than two months.

With so much in Southern California losing jobs, demand at the food bank has skyrocketed, up 80 percent at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank alone. Food shortages are not a problem, but the supply chain is disrupted.

“The whole market has shifted as we know. Restaurants are closing. Retail is up and processors need tools to return quickly which is not always possible because demand is shifting drastically. With the entry of the agriculture department, they get food flowing again to people who really need it, “said Donald Goodman, president of Don Lee Farms.

Want to be employed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Here’s what you need to know

Thanks to the coronavirus aid package endorsed by Congress, the Department of Agriculture is given $ 3 billion dollars for the Farmer Food Box Program for Families, paying farmers for their surplus food and distributing it to food banks.

Don Lee Farms is one of the companies that were awarded a multimillion-dollar contract by the USDA to produce 20 pounds of food and they feed 1 million people per day. This program has led to jobs for people like Haxel Melgar, who was laid off from a Beverly Hills restaurant because of a pandemic.

“I’m ready for anything. It turns out it’s good because I really help others. I know I made a difference in providing food for people during this crisis,” said Haxel Melgar, a new employee at Don Lee Ranch.

“The doors are completely closed at their last job, that doesn’t mean it will stop you. You have to keep working hard and it doesn’t matter if it’s not in the same environment,” Dorantes said.

“I am very happy that we can hire employees who have been neglected so far. We are an important workplace. Food supply is very important. They know they come to a safe work environment and they can get jobs that they usually don’t have and work for purposes good, “Goodman said.

The contract currently runs until 30 June, and the USDA can choose to extend it depending on funding. The second aid package could also be a way to expand Farmers to the Food Box Program family if congress takes that route.

For more information on how to find work in the food manufacturing industry in Southern California, visit priorityworkforce.com.

Copyright © 2020 KABC-TV. All rights reserved.

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pakistan

Unicef, partners are committed to helping the government & the community at KP | Instant News


PESHAWAR: Rejecting the impression that there was a setback in Unicef’s commitment and one of its partners the Sarhad Rural Support Program (SRSP) in the WASH sector in tribal districts, SRSP Syed Awlad Hussein, SRSP program manager for tribal districts, said Thursday the fight against Covid-19 will be continues.

“Publication of a story has created the impression that there is a decline in UNICEF’s commitment and one of its partners, SRSP in the WASH Sector in the tribal district and is fighting back against Covid-19 in the province. “It’s confusing to a change in strategy to adapt their work to the changing circumstances after Covid-19,” he complained.

On the contrary, he said, after Covid-19, this partnership worked with renewed enthusiasm to help governments and communities in the region. He said that the decision to close projects in the tribal district was made after intensive discussion between the SRSP and Unicef ​​which lasted for two months and was not carried out suddenly.

The main component of the closed project, he said, is community engagement that is not possible in the current situation without posing serious risks to the community and staff involved in the project. He said that the water supply scheme, which is being implemented through the Department of Public Health Engineering, has not been affected by this decision and will be completed on time in June under the revised SOP for projects implemented with contractors.

Awlad Hussein said that 2000 marked the seventh year of a partnership between SRSP and Unicef ​​to respond to the needs in the WASH sector and the main objective of this partnership was to end open defecation in the province, specifically the tribal districts. The partnership has grown over the years and has reached more than 900,000 people, including those who have been temporarily displaced, returnees and the host community.

Various WASH projects have been carried out ranging from Tanks, Kurram, Buner, Bannu, North and South Waziristan and Swabi. This partnership also helps increase government capacity in the sector and services. This work is not limited to the WASH sector but is also carried out in close collaboration with the Health and Education Sector to address various related problems.

This partnership supports the achievement of sustainable development goals in collaboration with the government. Collaborating, he said, under a partnership more than 700 village sanitation committees had been built and 131,000 people had benefited from the rehabilitation capacity of the water project.

More than 164,000 people have access to sanitation facilities, 13,000 low-cost latrines were built with the help of the community by providing basic materials and cash support.

More than 35,000 communities have been provided with improved WASH facilities at schools; 75 Basic Health Units have been provided with health and sanitation facilities; 205 latrines are built for people with special needs.

The official said awareness campaigns had been carried out regularly to support the sector. He said that this partnership was committed to helping people deal with the Covid-19 crisis facing all communities. A contingency agreement called the Contingency Program Cooperation Agreement has been signed with SRSP in the WASH Sector which allows partners to respond in a humanitarian emergency as it is today.

This agreement will go up until 2022. It was recently activated to assist the government’s efforts to respond to the Covid-19 crisis. Interventions have been conducted in 15 main health care facilities in four high-risk districts such as Peshawar, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan and Kurram which have benefited more than 138 people through this intervention.

Awlad said that changing circumstances require adaptation in all development programs and donor strategies to meet unforeseen circumstances and it is wrong to create the impression that there is a delay in commitment to the sector.

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pakistan

Lockdown helped limit the spread of Covid-19: KP ministers | Instant News


PESHAWAR: Minister of Health and Finance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, said Wednesday the lockout had helped limit Covid-19 transmission and the government is now entering the next phase of the war against the pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference at the Civil Secretariat here, he said the lockdown helped reduce the number of deaths due to coronavirus.

He said that 160 to 200 Covid-19 cases were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 10 days. He added that in the past two weeks, 10 to 12 people died due to the corona virus. He said that six people lost their lives on Wednesday.

The minister said the death ratio had been reduced due to lockouts imposed on March 23.

Over the past six to seven weeks locked up, Taimur Jhagra said the death ratio had been reduced to 10 percent from 300 percent. However, he said this problem will remain for some time.

He said there was no choice but to reduce the lock.

Referring to the previous death ratio, the minister said there should have been 1,080 deaths now but the death ratio had dropped due to timely measures taken by the government.

He said the government provided 5,598 beds in 200 isolation centers and 358 quarantine centers. He said more than 550 ventilators were available in the province.

“We have to increase the testing capacity,” he said, adding, the recovery ratio at KP was 31 percent higher than other provinces. The health minister said that other diseases also cause death.

He said the locking was not a permanent solution for the coronavirus pandemic. “We must change our attitudes and ways of life. “The decision will be taken according to the situation,” he argued.

Taimur Jhagra said the government did not impose fines on people for not wearing face masks. He said that 70 percent of the virus could be blocked by wearing a mask.

H said precautions must be followed during the Eid festival and in shopping centers and workplaces to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The minister expressed satisfaction with the performance of the medical staff and said he had sought the resignation details by several doctors.

He said KP was the first province to release all ADPs in December and not reduce funding. He said the utilization of their funds until February was a record but the coronavirus and its lockout affected it.

He said salary and promotion issues for doctors, nurses and paramedics were being handled according to priority. He said the salary problems of the new inductees were being resolved according to priority.

He said personal protective equipment (PPE) did not provide 100 percent protection against the corona virus and preventive measures were very important to remain safe from the virus.

“I have promised the Insaf Doctors Forum and other health associations relating to the promotion of doctors, paramedics, nurses and other health staff who will be dealt with,” he said.

The minister said the retirement problem of 500 senior doctors had been resolved when it appeared after the death of ENT specialist Dr. Muhammad Javed from Hayatabad Medical Complex.

The minister said doctors and paramedics fought the corona virus on the front lines and the whole nation appreciated their services.

He said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had announced that the KP government budget would further focus on improving health facilities in the province.

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pakistan

The government provides maximum assistance to people: Usman Buzdar | Instant News


LAHORE: Deputy Chair of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad and Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz asked Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday and gave a check of Rs4,013 million on behalf of Wasa staff members at CM Corona Control Dana.

Wasa staff members up to class 16 donate a day’s salary, class 17 to 19 officers contribute a two-day salary and class 20 officers contribute a three-day salary to the fund, stated in a leaflet issued here.

The chief minister while speaking on this occasion praised the donations made on behalf of Wasa staff and officers at the CM Fund and vowed that every cent would be spent on the assistance of affected brothers honestly and transparently.

Giving a helping hand to our brothers in distress is a noble deed, he added. He underlined that it is our social, national and religious obligation to help the affected masses in times of need.

The chief minister emphasized that in an emergency situation, irregular steps would definitely be taken and it was increasingly assured that we stood before the masses and would continue to do so. He stressed that we will not leave the masses alone in their difficult times and will give them maximum resources.

The vice chairmen of Wasa and MD gave a briefing to CM about the performance of the department. The vice chairman of Wasa appreciated the CM considering taking a commendable decision for Wasa staff in terms of increasing their salaries without increasing tariffs.

He hinted that at the direction of the chief minister, land of Rs300 million had been taken in Shadbagh. He said that the Wudhu Waste Waste Pilot Project has been successfully launched from Masjid-e-Khizra in Johar City and subjects related to water conservation have been included in textbooks for students. Sheikh Imtiaz said that for the first time in Wasa’s history, a woman had been represented as Operation XEN.

He said that a pension facilitation center had been established for Wasa staff members and all contributions were paid immediately after retirement.

He said that the fixed and overtime benefits from Wasa drivers had increased 100 percent and the “Ready Sir” mobile application had been developed to provide immediate assistance to the masses.

The chief minister directed Wasa officials and staff members to carry out their duties with more dedication to providing water to the community and acknowledged that Wasa was doing his job in providing water to the community and running water in a very good manner.

The chief minister stressed that it is very important to meet the expectations of the community regarding water supply and other related tasks.

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