Newborns in Jammu and Kashmir are more vulnerable to death in comparison to any other state, a survey by the Census Department has cautioned.

The survey under Sample Registration System (SRS) has shown that J&K was recording the highest death rate among neonates belonging to the age group of below 29 days.

Turkmenistan agreed on Wednesday to supply natural gas to Pakistan and India in deals that offer major economic benefits but depend on building and defending a US-backed pipeline across chronically unstable Afghanistan.

The route, particularly the 735-km leg through the Afghan provinces of Herat and Kandahar, will need billions of dollars in funding.

It faces significant security problems as the Western Nato alliance plans to hand control of Afghanistan to Kabul’s own security forces by the middle of next year.

The Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), is executing a 300 MW Kishanganga power project in Bandipora district of occupied Kashmir, despite a warning by the Centre for Inter-disciplinary Studies of Mountain & Hill Environment (CISMHE), New Delhi, of terrible anti-environmental dangers of the project. A report, prepared by CISMHE on Kishanganga, clearly pointed to the issues like environmental degradation and the impact on water quality of Bandipora.

Lahore—The administration of Lahore General Hospital has launched a website regarding dengue awarness and control. Principal PGMI & LGH Prof. Tariq Salahuddin while presiding over a meeting, attended by MS. LGH Dr. Mohammad Hassan and senior professors, said that citizens could watch the website to get information and guidance regarding dengue. People can also contact senior doctors and professors through face book linked with the website in order to have consultancy, he said.

Quetta—An emergency action plan to control polio in the areas along Afghan border including Chaman was launched on Monday. Health Department, government of Balochistan said a three-day immunization campaign against polio was launched in Chaman, Pishin, and adjoining areas. They said maximum number of polio cases have been reported in these areas. They said the main reason of polio disease in the area was frequent migration of population in the area and refusal of the parents to get their children immunized.

Peshawar—To ensure access to clean drinking water to the communities of Tijri and Dawr Jan Khan Korrona, the Political administration of FR DI Khan has completed water supply systems that will provide 3,500 individuals with water at their doorsteps. Due to shortage of water, the people of the area had been facing great hardship in gaining access to clean drinking water. The elders of the Tijri and DawrJan Khan Korrona requested the Political administration to provide clean drinking water to their area.

To make judicious use of irrigation water, the Punjab government has launched a mega project costing Rs 36 billion titled “Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement” under which drip & sprinkler irrigation system would be installed on 120,000 acres along with improvement of 9000 water courses for which farmers will be provided huge subsidy.

Approximately 3000 Laser Land Levelling Units would also be provided on subsidized rates to farmers for land levelling under the project. This was disclosed by Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad.

Pakistan will finally ink the gas deal with Turkmenistan in Ashgabad on May 23-24 under which it would start importing in 2016 the gas of 1.365 bcf per day under $ 7.6 billion TAPI gas line project at a cost of 70 per cent parity of crude oil at Multan and 50 percent of crude oil at Afghan border, a senior official told Pakistan Observer.

“A delegation headed by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Husain on Sunday left for Turkmenistan to sign Gas Sales Purchase Agreement. India which is also part of the project will also sign its GSAP with Turkmestan.”

Flood waters ravaged a provincial capital in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 19 people and destroying hundreds of homes, officials said Sunday.

About 60 other people were missing and rescuers were looking for them across Sar-e-Pul, the capital of a province with the same name, said Sayed Faizullah Sadat, the national disaster director in the area.

Northern Afghanistan gets hit nearly every spring by flash flooding from heavy rains and snow melting off the mountains.

In major development, the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide huge funding amounting to $ 1.14 billion for converting the costly diesel run public sector power plants into coal based power houses owing to which their electricity generation cost would tumble by over 50 percent from Rs 18-20 per unit to Rs 8-9 per unit.