In FY25’s budget, the allocation for utility stores corporation (USC) nearly doubled from the previous year. In the recent past, there have been different proposals to restructure the corporation to improve its finances or close 1,000 loss-making outlets nationwide. There are about 5,130 stores nationwide, according to media sources. This month, the government decided to close it down since it
With the advent of the second Trump era last Monday, uncertainty has engulfed the world on various fronts. And the world of energy is no exception. Within a week of taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump has rattled the energy markets. Moving on his campaign mantra, ‘Drill, baby, drill,’ on his first day in office, he signed an executive order promising to “unleash America’s affordab
Pakistan’s deep state is watching every action of the second Trump administration in the US cautiously. PTI, the main opposition party, thinks the change of guard in Washington may somehow help it defuse existential threats. That may be why it keeps sending mixed signals about its willingness to cooperate. On the international front, Pakistan’s politics is becoming increasingly entrenched in the b
The circular bioeconomy, with its rapidly growing global significance, offers immense opportunities for agricultural countries like Pakistan. It revolves around transforming agricultural waste, by-products, and co-products into food, bioenergy, and other materials through recycling, reusing, and repurposing. It reduces the reliance on virgin resources, particularly fossil fuels and petrochemica
The taxation of Pakistan’s agricultural sector remains a contentious issue, driven by its significant contribution to the national GDP of around 24 per cent yet its disproportionately low contribution to tax revenue, amounting to less than 1pc — less than Rs4 billion of total taxes collected. Advocates for agricultural income tax (AIT) argue it could provide a critical revenue stream, potential