Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certied Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

June 27, 2016 21 Ramadan 1437 AHMONDAY

40108

RAMADAN PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr 12.15pmAsr 3.33pmMaghrib 7.02pmIsha 8.25pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 3.55am

IFTAR7.02PM

FAJR3.55AM

MORNING MINUTE

On the international scene, the Sultanate has actively played its part in the quest for world peace and in the championship of human rights.

On the occasion of the 9th National Day, 1979FROM THE WORDS

OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

His Majestys Wisdom

HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATIhassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A worried group of Omani medical interns says the government has failed to pay them for the seventh consecutive month.

Marriages have been post-poned, loan repayments are mounting up and day-to-day liv-ing has become a hand-to-mouth trial for 24 young medics toiling in government hospitals.

The Ministry of Health has failed to pay the interns since December 1 last year and now these young medics are reaching a breaking point.

With the Eid holiday looming, young trainees say they are not able to purchase even the basics and are reliant on friends and family for handouts.

This is the rst time a group of government interns has not been paid for work. Legally, the interns cannot le a lawsuit, as they are not working under contracts.

Even during their periodic eval-uations to be offered job contracts, no intern has yet to receive an of-fer of employment.

Dr Ahmed Al Risi, 25, a newly married intern who just gradu-ated from a medical school in New Zealand, said that after

seven years away from home and his family, it is sad to spend his rst Eid in Oman, employed, but without expectations.

Monthly wagesApart from the governments payment, my family has been sup-porting me nancially through-out my studying years. I dont want to be a burden anymore, Al Risi said, adding that despite his not being paid, he is not prepared to compromise on his work eth-ics or the quality of services he provides to patients.

At the same time, he is afraid that he will not be able to pursue his

dream to become a neurosurgeon, as he cannot afford to apply to take the required international tests.

Since December 1 last year, 20 Sultan Qaboos University graduates began working at different public hospitals in the Sultanate of Oman.

Also, four medical students who graduated from universities outside Oman began work in January 2016. Another intern, Dr Abdul Majeed Al Qutaiti, said that after three-month delay in payment, he sought an an-swer from the local authorities.

Once a week, using our What-sApp group, we send a medical intern to the authorities to follow-up on our case, he said. >A6

With no payment for the past seven months, 24 medical interns are passing through difficult times and depending on handouts

Relax degree criterion to hire localsHASAN SHABAN AL LAWATIhassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman should con-sider employing more locals, regardless of their educational majors at universities, ministers suggested.

The suggestion came during a closed-door meeting with Majlis Al Shura youth and education committees.

Shura member Tawq Al La-wati said this would allow for more job vacancies to be lled by Omanis.

However, he pointed out that hiring in technical professions, such as medicine and engineer-ing, would not be regulated under

this suggestion.Internationally, around 80

per cent of college graduates have jobs that are not related to their majors, Al Lawati ex-plained, adding that obtaining a higher education degree is not the end of the road, which is why Omanis who struggle to nd a job should be trained to cultivate their communication, technical and other skills.

Job-seekers need to think out-side the box and learn other skills to boost their chances of getting a job, he added.

Khalid Al Farei, head of the education committee of Shura, echoed Al Lawati, saying this de-cision will help in handling the

current situation.If they are qualied, I think

people should apply for jobs which require similar basic skills as learned in their major, Al Fa-rei added, while saying that edu-cational institutions must also prepare students to work in more than one eld.

In contrast, Sultan Al Abri, another Shura member, said the ministers suggestion can-not work.

He noted that the root of the problem is the major areas of study being taught in Omani col-leges and universities, because, according to Al Abri, there are few job vacancies in those elds in Oman. >A7

S U G G E S T M I N I S T E R S

Iftar boxes at Oman airports for iersTARIQ ZIAD AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Passengers will re-ceive Iftar boxes while waiting to board their planes during Rama-dan, along with those arriving near the time for Iftar, at Muscat International Airport and Sala-lah Airport, thanks to the Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC).

Since the beginning of Rama-dan, OAMC put in place a pro-gramme that reects the giving and rewarding nature of the holy month of Ramadan. For passen-gers waiting to board their planes, and passengers just arriving at

the airport terminal, OAMC staff will hand out Iftar boxes, which typically contain dates, water and Omani halwa, to assist passen-gers in breaking their fasts.

This is OAMCs rst Ramadan programme, which began at the beginning of the month, and has seen the distribution of 800 Iftar boxes per day at both Muscat In-ternational Airport and Salalah Airport. >A6

D U R I N G R A M A D A N

A3Sami Yusuf releases album shot in Oman

MARKETMassive tourism hub coming up in Duqm

2 Permission to build a massive tourism hub with hotels, residential and commercial complexes and an amusement park has been granted to Al Khonji Real Estate and Development in Duqm by Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (Sezad). >B1

SPORTSOman Air crowned champions in Cardiff

3 Oman Air swept to their second win in three Extreme Sailing Series events when they nished on the podium in all but one race on the nal day in Cardiff to tighten their grip on the overall 2016 leaderboard. They stretched their lead at the top of the season table. >C4

OMANOman must establish own space agency

1Oman needs to establish its own space agency in collaboration with local educational institutes and global partnerships with key space agencies, space technology expert Nader Sabry said. Sabry is CEO and Founder of TIMEZ5 Global Inc. >A2

T O P T H R E E I N S I D E S T O R I E S

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said yesterday issued Royal Decree No. 34/2016 up-grading the Directorate of Awqaf and Religious Affairs in the Gov-ernorate of Dhofar to a Directo-rate General.

Article (1) states that the or-ganisational level of the Awqaf and Religious Affairs Directorate in the Governorate of Dhofar, Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, shall be upgraded to the status of Directorate General of Awqaf and Religious Affairs in the Governorate of Dhofar.

Article (2) says that this Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on its date of issue. -ONA

D E C I S I O N

Majlis Al Shura member Taw-q Al Lawati.

Omani rial is the monthly

salary paid to each medical intern for the

duty they perform from

7:30am to 2:30pm

1,100

HM issues Royal Decree

Despite all the hardships, the medics are not ready to compromise with their work ethics

A2 M O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

OMAN British singer Sami Yusuf says, I would like to thank Omans Ministry of Tourism for giving me the opportunity to carry out this dreamUK singer releases album shot in Oman >A3Sultanate needs own agency for space technology

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman needs to estab-lish its own space agency, in col-laboration with local educational institutes and global partnerships with key space agencies, a space technology expert said.

In the past three years, with the establishment of the UAE Space Agency and Sheikh Mo-hammed bin Rashid Space Cen-tre, new opportunities in the re-gion have opened. Oman stands to benet from this by establish-ing its own space agency, in col-laboration with local education institutes and global partnerships with key space agencies. This will help Oman also diversify its sov-ereign investments into a new growth area that helps Oman benet economically, said Nader Sabry, a space technology entre-preneur based in the UAE.

PioneerSabry is CEO and Founder of TIMEZ5 Global Inc., a Cana-dian space technology company certied by NASAs Space Foun-dation and a GIES Innovation award winner from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of UAE.

TIMEZ5 is the worlds rst health and wellness Muslim life-style company delivering a phys-io-spiritual experience through

innovative products.Sabry is the sole innovation

leader in a $2 trillion lifestyle market within the Islamic econ-omy focused on using space tech-nology for the health, wellness and lifestyle.

His landmark product is the TIMEZ5 physiological prayer mat introduced in 2012 after ve years of research and sells in 35 countries including Oman.

He was former head of innova-tion and thought leadership at A.T. Kearney, previously advised governments and Fortune 1000 companies, and helped found several successful start-ups. He has raised more than $12 million in venture capital and co-created several high-growth companies.

Shaping innovationHe helped shape innovation as a published author, speaker, lec-turer, and as the (former) chair-men of the Institute for Strategy Complexity Management forum.

As a University of Cambridge graduate, Sabry has attained his postgraduate education in busi-ness administration holding an MBA, BComm and business di-ploma. Canadian by birth to par-ents of Arab Muslim heritage, he is married and is a father to a very inquisitively adventurous son.

The worlds rst physiologi-cal prayer mat is very popular

in Oman, said Nader Sabry. Re-garding Omans market, he said there are 5,690 registered users in Oman. We have an annual in-crease of 38.97 per cent growth in the Oman market and have seen a surge in Omani demand in 2016 of 62.56 per cent , he said.

Setting up its own space agency will

also help Oman diversify its sovereign

investments into a new growth area and

reap economic benets

Oman stands to benefit from this by establishing its own space agency, in collaboration with local education institutes and global partnerships with key space agencies

Nader SabrySpace technology entrepreneur

A3

OMANM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

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Embassies plan to help workers file petitions

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Asian embassies in Oman are planning to make avail-able extra services to assist work-ers in ling labour complaints on-line in Arabic on the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) website.

Last week, the Ministry of Manpower opened a special sec-tion on its website for workers to submit labour complaints online.

Even though a senior official at the Ministry of Manpower said that the service will be made available in English in the future, social workers from Asian coun-

tries had raised their concerns that the Arabic-only website ser-vice would be a challenge for non-Omani workers.

Denitely, there is a plan to set up special services for work-ers to assist them in lodging their grievances online on the Minis-try of Manpower website. We are working on the logistics. Soon, we will make it happen, Indra Mani Pandey, the Indian ambassador to Oman, told Times of Oman.

A senior official from the Sri Lankan embassy in Muscat also said that they will look into op-tions to help workers who need assistance in submitting com-plaints in Arabic.

We will look into various op-tions. Our aim is always to assist

workers, the official said.According to a senior official

at the Ministry of Manpower, the website will also be made avail-able soon and workers in Sohar and Salalah will be able to submit their claims during the next phase of the expansion.

Meanwhile, Sulaiman Khalili, assistant director at the Informa-tion Department at the Ministry of Manpower, told the Times of Oman that the service is currently in its trial phase and, in the future, it will be expanded across Oman.

The online complaint platform states that a complainant should not delay in lodging a claim, as per Article 7 of the Labour Law.

Article 7 states that an employ-ees right to make any claim based

upon this law shall expire after the lapse of one year from the date on which such a claim arises.

DeadlineRegarding cases instituted before the implementation of this law, the one-year deadline will com-mence from the date on which the law comes into force.

The online platform also clearly points out that an employer can-not act against a complainant for approaching the ministry to lodge a complaint.

The current practice is that the complainant approaches the La-bour Dispute Department and lls in the form available there with all details about the complainant, employer and labour claims.

Last week, the

Ministry of

Manpower opened a

special section on its

website for workers

to submit labour

complaints online

150 rms found violating midday break rulesREJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Nearly 150 compa-nies were found violating the midday break rule in Oman from June 1 until 23, the Ministry of Manpower tweeted on its official twitter handle.

The ministry visited 1,037

companies and found 143 busi-nesses violating the midday break rule, the ministrys tweet read. Thats six firms per day, on average.

The rule, which is effective from June 1 until the end of August, bans work at outdoor sites between12.30pm and 3.30pm when the summer heat

is at its peak.According to Article 118 of the

Oman Labour Law, violators can be penalised with nes ranging from OMR100 to OMR500, or a jail term of not more than one month, or both.

The penalty is doubled for those found guilty of repeated violations.

M I N I S T R Y O F M A N P O W E R

The online complaint platform states that a complainant should not delay in lodging a claim, as per Article 7 of the Labour Law

UK singer releases album shot in OmanREJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman is a beacon of hope for the world as it strives to preserve its natural beauty, said Sami Yusuf, on the release of his latest album, Barakah, which was shot in Oman.

As a lover of nature, tradi-tion and the environment, it has always been a dream of mine to work on a project that incorpo-rates all those subjects in a mu-sic video. I would like to thank Omans Ministry of Tourism for giving me the opportunity to carry out this dream, the singer posted on his official website.

The album was released on Saturday. Sami Yusuf collaborat-ed with the Ministry of Tourism of Oman to not only showcase its incredible natural beauty, but also to stress the importance of the conservation of nature.

It is my hope that through this initiative we remind peo-ple of the celestial beauty and sanctity of nature. To this effect, Oman is a beacon of hope for the world as it strives to preserve its natural beauty and aims for an eco-friendly approach and life-style, which is to be applauded. It has been an honour for me to have worked on this noble pro-ject and I am positive people will love what they see when it is launched, Yusuf added.

Ya Rasul Allah, a song in the album, comes from the Kurdish Qadiri zawiyas (Su centers) of western Iran, noted Yusuf. It is a traditional devotional piece expressing love of the Prophet (PBUH) and longing to visit Medina. The original words are in Kurdish, but additional verses in Persian, Turkish and Arabic have been added, Yusuf noted.

M U S I C

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com haveyoursay@timesofoman.com

A4 M O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

WHERE TO SPEND YOUR ZAKAT The literal meaning of Zakat is to cleanse or purication. In the

Islamic faith, Zakat means purifying your wealth for the will of Allah to acknowledge that everything we own belongs to Allah and to work

towards the betterment of the Muslim Ummah. According to Islamic regulations, Zakat is 2.5% of one years total cumulative wealth. Zakat is not always nancial, and can include everything from

volunteering your time to giving an encouraging word, but when it comes to nancial donations to the less fortunate, it can be difficult to decide which causes speak most to your heart. Here we will highlight

worthy causes to help you decide.

{ Spotlight: Oman Hereditary Blood Disorder Association }

W H AT T H E Y D O : Oman Hereditary Blood Disorder Association (OHBDA)

aims at creating awareness among public on how to avoid the spread of hereditary blood disorders. It provides a wide range of services: Creating public awareness, counselling,

tracking services for parents with infants who screen posi-tive by the State Laboratory, family counselling and support services, as well as coordinating medical and social services with the concerned organisations and in-charge institutions

energising an effective social partnership.

W H E R E : OHBDA is a non-prot organisation based in Al Hail,

officially recognised by Ministerial Decision No. 75/2009 since 2009.

F I N D O U T M O R E A N D D O N AT E : +968 2453 3750omancares.org

TODAYS VERSE

Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one

who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend.

(Fussilat, 41:34)

PLACE OF WORSHIP

This Ramadan is a great opportunity to go pray in beautiful houses of worship that you might not otherwise take the time to see. Whether for Taraweeh prayers or Dhuhr, pay a visit to one

of Muscats architectural monuments of faith.

{Masjid Moosa Abdulrahman}

Masjid Moosa Abdulrahman is located in the time-honoured Seeb souq, facing Bushra Al Khair shop-

ping centre. The mosques exterior sports an all-white, minimalistic design, which gives it a unique,

modern feel that stands out from the old-school market around it. The crisp white is broken only by a

great, dark brown door accented with gold fin-ishes. The white motif continues with the towering columns that fill the spacious interior. The mosque

is currently undergoing massive renovations, but remains open for prayers.

*This mosque has a Ladies Prayer Hall

WORDFASTING HEALTH TIPS

Remember that it is a good idea to pace your mealtimes during the

non-fasting hours. Try not to eat continuously from

Iftar to just before Fajr. At Iftar, break your fast with a light snack such as dates

and soup, and have a full meal about an hour later.

Wake up 30 minutes to an hour before Fajr prayers

and have a healthful Suhoor. Dont forget to drink at least

two litres of water slowly between Iftar and Fajr.

RAMADAN TIP

It is important to adjust our Ramadan sleep schedules to get enough rest, especially for those who work away

from home. Try to get to bed before midnight so that you can get at least four hours of undisturbed sleep before waking up

for Suhoor and Fajr prayers.

No religion urges its followers to adopt mutual love, affection, and intimacy like the religion of Islam, and there are many different types, from romantic love to brotherly love,

to various ways Allah loves his followers. While there is a divine mercy (rahmah) that is available to everyone and embraces everything there is another, warmer, type of love called

hub, which Allah gives to those who repent (2:222), those who do good (2:195; 5:13), those who are just (5:42; 49:9), those who persevere in patience (3:145), those who fight for His cause (61:4), those who love cleanliness (61:4), and those who put their trust in

Him (3:158). Typically translated simply as love other meanings attributed to hub include affection, fondness, beloved, and passion.

IFTAR

INGREDIENTS3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighsSalt and pepper, to taste

1 leek, washed and nely sliced4 fat celery sticks, chopped into

small pieces3 large carrots, chopped into small pieces

2 big parsnips, peeled and dicedSmall bunch coriander, stalks nely

chopped, leaves reserved to serve1 tablespoon cumin seed

2 teaspoons ground cumin2 teaspoons ground coriander2 teaspoons ground cinnamon2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 tablespoons harissa2 400g cans chopped tomatoes

2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled

85g raw green lentils, picked & rinsedZest and juice 1 lemon

1 tablespoon sugarFresh bread, for serving (optional)

PREPARATIONHeat 1.5 tablespoons of oil in a frying

pan over medium to medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides. Set aside. Deglaze the pan by pouring a cup of water into the pan

and scraping up all the browned bits.

Reserve this liquid and set aside.Put the remaining oil, vegetables, and

coriander stalks in a big saucepan.Gently cook until vegetables are soft, about ve minutes. Stir in the spices (through turmeric), turn up the heat,

and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the harissa, followed by the tomatoes,

chicken, stock cubes, and lentils. Add water to the reserved deglazing

liquid to make 500ml of liquid total. Add to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover

and cook 30 minutes. Remove chicken and shred nely.

Return to the soup along with lemon zest and juice, sugar, and coriander

leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh atbread.

GLOBAL RAMADAN RECIPES MOROCCO

{ Harira Soup}bl

d

Love of Allah/ Hub Allah

7:02 PM

A5

OMANM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

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OAMC initiatives help boost passenger traffic at airportsTARIQ ZIAD AL HAREMItariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Muscat International Airport is becoming the go-to-place for air travel, as one more airline added it as a direct route. Air Asia X has become the newest airline to join the Muscat family, offering di-rect ights to and from Bangkok.

At the same time, Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) continues to raise its customer ser-vice satisfaction by implementing initiatives, such as Something on your Mind? and Fkrati.

This month, OAMC began a pro-gramme to uphold the traditions

and culture of the holy month of Ramadan by handing out Iftar box-es to passengers waiting to board their ights, and to those disem-barking on arrival.

With OAMC continuing to climb to the top among the worlds air-ports, Muscat International Airport recorded a 16 per cent growth in pas-sengers in May 2016, with 950,058 passengers, compared to 815,953 during the same month last year.

Salalah Airport recorded a 14 per cent increase in passenger move-ment in May 2016, with 83,046, compared to 71,564 in May 2015. Duqm Airport saw an 82 per cent rise in passengers, with 2,480 pas-

sengers in May 2016, against 2,359 during the same month last year.

Civil aircraft movement also increased by 8 per cent at Muscat International Airport, with 8,281, but decreased by 9 per cent at Sala-lah Airport to 766. OAMC said that the decrease in aircraft movement is due to the national carrier using larger aircraft to transport more passengers and y less frequently, instead of ying more, smaller aircraft,which are less efficient.

Duqm Airport saw 36 aircraft landings and departures during May this year, compared to 34 dur-ing May last year, which is a 5.8 per-cent increase.

AV IAT I ON

80% seat occupancy on Oman Air ights to India

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Over the past year in the Indian market, Oman Air has seen an average rate of 80 per cent seat occupancy, while increasing seat capacity by 30 per cent, the airline reports.

In a statement to Times of Oman, the airline said that the dynamic travel industry and for-ward-thinking aviation sector in India, currently valued at $16 billion, has become an impor-tant market for it. Meanwhile, Oman Airs chief executive of-cer was quoted by the Indian media as saying that the airline plans to operate 175 weekly ights to India by 2018.

We operate 126 weekly ights from Muscat to 11 des-tinations in the Indian market, which totals 21,147 seats. We enjoy a load factor of 80 per cent on our India routes and, there-fore, by 2018 we plan to operate 175 weekly ights, and increase frequency to triple the daily ights from Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. Therefore, we are seeking to expand the current ights to 29,000 seats per week. Also, we would like to operate twice-daily ights to the re-maining destinations, said Paul Gregorowitsch, Oman Air CEO.

Last year, the airline began operating ights to Goa, its 11th destination in India. Bhanu Kalia, Country Manager-India, Oman Air, said that 50 per cent of their business is generated through the travel trade in India and, therefore, they have regu-lar interactions with Indian travel agencies.

AV IAT I ON

I N S TA G R A M . C O M / O M A N A I R P O R T S

Y O U T U B E . C O M / O M A N A I R P O R T S

T W I T T E R . C O M / O M A N A I R P O R T SFA C E B O O K . C O M / O M A N A I R P O R T S

O M A N A I R P O R T S . C O . O M O A M C I N F O @ O M A N A I R P O R T S . C O M+ 9 6 8 24 3 4 1 0 0 0 + 9 6 8 24 5 1 8 0 8 8

L I N K E D I N . C O M / C O M PA N Y/ O M A N - A I R P O R T S - M A N A G E M E N T- C O M PA N Y

Oman Airports Managment Company is a government-owned company, responsible for the management and operation of the civilian airports in the Sultanate of Oman. The infrastructure of the airports such as the terminal buildings, cargo buildings, runways, aprons, car parking and other facilities are directly under the OAMCs management.

Growing gatewaysto beauty andopportunity

OUR PURPOSE

To be among the top 20airports of the world

by 2020

OUR VISION

2015, AirportExcellence, NewSalalah Airport(OAMC)

2012, The bestairport award,for staff serviceMiddle East region

Source: Airport Statistics 2014-2015, Oman Airports Managment Company Graphics

OAMC is managing and operating Muscat International and Salalah Airports, and the regional airports in Duqm and Sohar

OMAN AIRPORTSSTATISTICS: May 2015-2016

The decrease in the number of ights of the national carrier to Salalah is because bigger aircraft have been deployed on the route.

Total Number of Passengers

Civilian Aircraft Movements

Cargo & Mail (in Kilograms)

Key

Muscat International Airport Salalah Airport

Duqm AirportMAY MAY

1,359

2,480

2015 2016

82%

JANUARY - MAY JANUARY - MAY

2015 2016

5.8%

36

34

6,497

11,277

2015 2016

73.5%

2015 2016

3.5%

174

168

MAY MAY

72,564

83,046

2015 2016

14%

JANUARY - MAY JANUARY - MAY

2015 2016

-9%

766

844

361,279

419,400

2015 2016

16%

2015 2016

-10%

3,713

4,137

MAY

151,237

139,446

2015 2016

-8%

JANUARY - MAY

713,898

535,127

2015 2016

-25%

MAY MAY

815,953

950,058

2015 2016

16%

JANUARY - MAY JANUARY - MAY

2015 2016

7%

8,504

7,921

4.04M

4.81M

2015 2016

19%

2015 2016

10%

41,483

37,765

MAY

10.66M

11.85M

2015 2016

11%

JANUARY - MAY

54.31M

59.47M

2015 2016

9%

A6

OMANM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

Restaurants will be graded like hotels now as the ministry clubs them under different categories,Maitha Al Mahrouqi, undersecretary at MoT

Writers urged to apply for literary competitionStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: Omani writers and literati have been urged to apply for literary awards in the annual competition organised by the Omani Society for Writers and Literati (OSWL), the society has announced.

Eight categories, including po-etry, essay, theatrical, criticism, best intellectual, best article, chil-drens literature and best transla-tion, are categories in the 2016 literature award.

The competition is open to all Omani writers, literati and soci-ety members. A participant can-

not compete in more than one category, and the book or body of work must have been released in 2015-2016.

Contestants will be asked to submit ve copies of their work, which will be nonrecoverable.

Prize moneyThe winner in each category will receive OMR1,000 prize money, with citations being handed out at the headquarters of Omani Society for Writers and Literati in Murtafaat Almatar in Muscat.

Participants have been asked to submit their work by August 31, 2016.

O S W L

No ministry consent for new restaurant needed

FAHAD AL GHADANIfahadnews@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Restaurants will no longer need to get approval from the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) to establish a business, a senior min-istry official said.

Establishing a restaurant used to be hard for businessmen as they had to seek approvals from different government bodies, in-cluding MoT. But from now on, the ministry has made it clear that only tourism restaurants need to get such permissions.

Non-tourism category res-taurants have nothing to do with the ministry now, said Maitha Al Mahrouqi, undersecretary at MoT. She explained that in the past it was quite complicated to establish a new restaurant.

Getting approval from differ-ent authorities made the busi-nessmens lives difficult. With the Invest Easy system, the

procedures have become easier, said Al Mahrouqi, adding that res-taurants can now establish their business without referring to the ministry. However, when there is a plan to grade the restaurant under the tourism establishment, then the restaurant owner should seek MoTs approval.

The new tourism regulation came out with international cri-teria for restaurants as a restau-rant needs to meet a specic level to get the tourism licence, said Al Mahrouqi.

She added that the ministry

grants a number of privileges to tourism restaurants, such as of-fering a musical show in a res-taurant in accordance with its tourism grade.

Restaurants will be graded like hotels now as the ministry clubs them under different categories, said Al Mahrouqi.

She explained that there are three categories for restaurants, based on cuisine offered, location, number of staff and other issues.

Our standards are very con-sistent like the location, number of employees, uniform and food

and we will monitor them under the standards requirements like hotels.

Tourism regulationMoT had issued a new tourism regulation recently to organise different matters in the tour-ism market.

In an earlier news report, the Times of Oman had addressed the new regulation for hotels es-tablishments in Oman, stating that hotels in Oman have been told to register the names of all guests and their visitors with the Royal Oman Police on a daily basis and that guests are not al-lowed to bring under-age girls to rooms without the female being accompanied by at least a second degree relative.

Moreover, as part of the new regulations, a tourist guide will now have to obtain a proper li-cence to do his job after passing a test and interview.

The ministry had also an-nounced earlier an Omani Tour-ism Strategy, stating that global tourism will become the main economic driver for employment in the world, accounting for 11 per cent of the total number of jobs a decade from now and will con-tribute more than 9 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product, attracting more than 1 billion in-ternational ights.

The Sultanate has the potential to achieve a leading position in the global tourism eld.

The Ministry of

Tourism says

that only tourism

restaurants need to

get their permissions

Getting approval from different authorities made the businessmens lives difficult. With the Invest Easy system, the procedures have become easier

Maitha Al MahrouqiUndersecretary at MoT

Medical interns facing nancial crisis due to non-payment

Al Qutaiti said he has only OMR10 left in his pocket.

For months I couldnt buy new things, not even a bottle of perfume, and some of my friends had to delay their wed-dings, he said, adding that in-creased petrol prices only made life harder for him, as he drives 60km to the hospital.

I feel ashamed to ask my par-ents for cash, so I borrow from my employed friends, he admitted, adding that the common response he received from the Ministry of Health (MoH) was, Keep work-ing and we are following the case, which, according to him, was rst told to him last February.

MeetingAsked if the delay in payment af-fects his performance at work, he replied, Of course it does, I get less sleep due to worrying. Such an atti-tude from the authorities kills our passion during a critical time, as I am just starting my career.

Some of my colleagues have considered working in different jobs, he added. Medical interns work from 7:30am to 2:30pm on normal days.

But the doctors said they usual-

ly come home late due to the large workload, in addition to on-call shifts once a week.

Normally, each medical in-tern is paid about OMR1,100 per month.

More than OMR1.3 billion was allocated in the budget for the Ministry of Health in 2016.

Asked if he might leave the country to work elsewhere, he stressed that medical interns be-

long here and want to serve Oman. But if all doors are closed, I may consider leaving, Abdul Majeed Al Qutaiti said.

Another Sultan Qaboos Uni-versity (SQU) graduate, Dr Asia Al Mamari,noted that during her university studies, she was privi-leged to receive free food and ac-commodation.

Now, without a payment, my loans have exceeded OMR2,000, she said, while explaining that she depends entirely upon help from family. Al Mamari added that she would not be able to take her Medical Council of Canada Evalu-ating Examination (MCCEE) due to money issues, and stressed that she is seeking an apology from the health ministry for the delay.

TrustMy trust in government bodies has been shaken, as they refuse to support their own citizens, she noted.

Dr Abdullah bin Saleh Al Abdali made it clear that patients should not pay for MoH mistakes. He said that if Oman does not want its own medical students, other countries will be happy to host us.

Social media activists in Oman

have launched an Arabic hashtag, translated as Im in solidarity with doctors.

Working hoursMedical interns training re-quires long working hours, ex-hausting tasks and late night stays. In return, their rights were dismissed, said Senior Dr Zaka-riya Al Muharmi of Sultan Qaboos University on Twitter, in support of his students.

We have chosen a noble pro-fession to serve mankind, but we ended up without receiving our salaries for more than six months, India-graduate Dr Haifa Al Zadjali said, adding that her parents have borrowed money from banks to help her complete her MBBS degree, in the hope that she returns and repays the out-standing loan.

Al Zadjali said that it is not pos-sible to survive without income.

I earnestly urge that our case be addressed and I am asking for an immediate solution, she add-ed. The Times of Oman has sent letters to the Ministry of Health seeking its comment. When contacted, a Ministry of Health spokesman declined to comment.

N O B L E P R O F E S S I O N

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Overall, officials have handed out over 30,000 Iftar boxes, so far. In the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, OAMC su-pervises on this carrying initia-tive, which aims to promote the spirit of solidarity and to give a good picture of the meanings and implications of the holy month, said OAMC. In addi-tion, it reects Oman Airports desire to support societys cus-toms and values, noted OAMC, adding that they are planning to continue handing out Iftar boxes every year.

An earlier OAMC programme, which was part of the efforts to reach the ranks of the top 20 air-ports in the world, was entitled Something on Your Mind? and allowed passengers to send com-plaints and feedback to airport authorities. Further, as part of this programme, the airport man-agement will actively work to nd solutions to problems, such as customer complaints with air-lines and baggage handlers.

It is a blessing month and the OAMC team works tirelessly and with motivation to promote the human values of the holy month, noted OAMC.

C U S T O M S A N D V A L U E S

< FROM

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Another Sultan Qaboos University graduate, Dr Asia Al Mamari, noted that during her university studies, she was privileged to receive free food and accommodation

A7

OMANM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

Jobless rate in Oman has reached 7.15 per cent

G R A D U A T E S

Many graduates, most of them females who are Before School Child Education majors, are in limbo, as the number of avail-able jobs can be counted on ones ngers, he said.

This was discussed during the Harmonisation of higher edu-cation outputs with labour mar-ket meeting, which included participation by Rawya Saud Al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Ed-ucation, Khalid Umar Al Mar-hoon, Minister of Civil Service and Abdullah Al Bakri, Minister of Manpower.

The unemployment rate in Oman has reached 7.15 per cent, according to the International Labour Organisation, predict-ing that the number of unem-ployed people in the world will increase by nearly 2.3 million in 2016 and 1.1 million in 2017 as a result of last years global eco-nomic slowdown.

The Times of Oman reported last February that more than half of Omanis remain jobless after graduating from colleges in the Sultanate, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of

Higher Education (MoHE).The survey was carried out

among 12,551 students who have been searching for jobs after grad-uating from college.

The survey pointed out that while 53 per cent remained jobless, 47 per cent of Omanis obtained jobs after graduating from college.

The study also showed that stu-dents studying Science, Philoso-phy and Engineering received jobs after graduating from col-lege, while students in the Arts struggled to nd a job.

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HM sends greetings to DjiboutiMUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Ismail Omar Guelleh of the Re-public of Djibouti on the occasion of his countrys Independence Anniversary.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Guelleh and the people of Djibouti further progress and prosperity. -ONA

C A B L E

Sultanate developing plans to combat spread of drugs MUSCAT: National Committee for Drugs and Psychotropic Sub-stances said that it is currently developing the necessary plans and programmes for the National Strategy for Drugs and Psycho-tropic Substances, after having developed the general framework for the strategy.

The Committee said that it is keen on involving all respective stakeholders in the development of the strategy including the pub-lic and civil society organisations and the Human Rights Commis-sion to come out with integrated and balanced strategy that in-clude awareness, prevention, combating, training, treatment, rehabilitation, monitoring, secu-rity and research issues, as well as the science-based studies.

Drug abuseCountries of the world have cel-ebrated the United Nations (UN) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on June 26 each year to raise awareness of the major prob-lem that drugs pose to society.

The National Committee for Drugs and Psychotropic Sub-stances said that as per the Na-

tional Record for Drug Dependen-cy the number of drug dependents in the Sultanate as of 2014 stood at 625 ; a decline by 29 per cent compared to 2013.

The number of recorded drug dependents who applied for treat-ment at the different health insti-tutions from 2004 to 2014 stood at 4,955 including 4,872 Omanis

of which females are only 49 cas-es (only 1 per cent), between 15 to 50 years an average of 29.

In terms of education, 10 per cent of the female drug depend-ents have university degree compared to 60 per cent having primary or secondary education and 20 per cent did not attend school. -ONA

G E N E R A L F R A M E W O R K

DRUG HAUL: The number of drug dependents in the Sultanate as of 2014 stood at 625 ; a decline by 29 per cent compared to 2013. Supplied photo

Riyada board meeting focus on procurement

MUSCAT: Implementation of the provision to allocate 10 per cent of government procurement and tenders to small and medium enterprises was the main agenda of a meeting of the Board of Di-rectors of the Public Authority for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (Riyada).

The board held its second meeting of the year under the chair of Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The meeting reviewed the implementation-report of the decisions of Saih Al Shamikhat and the measures taken by rel-evant institutions to implement those decisions.

The meeting commended the measures taken by more than 37 government institutions by nam-ing staff to follow the allocation

of 10 per cent of government pro-curement and tenders for small and medium enterprises.

It also commended the pro-vision of the Tender Board by those institutions with details of the procurement and tenders that have been assigned to these institutions.

BriefedThe meeting stressed the impor-tance for all government agen-cies to name staff to follow up this issue and to assign at least 10 per cent of the procurement and tenders for small and medium enterprises. The meeting gave in-structions to the executive man-agement of Riyada to continue to pursue this matter in coordina-tion with the Tender Board.

The meeting was also briefed on the programmes and activities

carried out by Riyada during the rst half of this year and those planned to be implemented dur-ing the coming period.

Effectiveness indicatorsThe meeting stressed the im-portance of developing effec-tiveness indicators for these programmes, particularly their contribution in providing job opportunities for Omanis and increasing the contribution of small and medium enterprises in the national economy.

The meeting also stressed the importance of the partnership between Riyada and private sec-tor companies in implement-ing a number of initiatives that support small and medium en-terprises and entrepreneurship in the Sultanate. The meeting approved the conducting of 4th

Omani innovations exhibition this year, on the condition that it is implemented in partnership with private sector companies, in addition to the implementation of the Entrepreneurship Award every two years so that the im-plementation of the third edition of the award will be in 2017, and it should implemented in coop-eration and partnership with the private sector.

Due to the importance of ex-panding the services of Riyada to all citizens in all governorates of the Sultanate, the meeting in-structed the executive manage-ment to coordinate with other concerned authorities to provide some of the services of Riyada through branches of these author-ities in the governorates, as well as the expansion in the provision of services electronically.--ONA

The meeting

commended the

measures taken

by more than

37 government

institutions by

naming staff to

follow the allocation

of 10 per cent

of government

procurement and

tenders for small and

medium enterprises

Holding its second meeting of the year under the chair of Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the Board of Directors, the board gave instructions to the executive management of Riyada to continue to pursue this matter in coordination with the Tender Board

Meeting held to promote Oman exportsSOHAR: An joint meeting was held in the Wilayat of Sohar yes-terday between branch of Oman Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry (OCCI) and the Export Credit Guarantee Agency (ECGA) Oman in the Governorate of North Al Batinah.

The meeting aimed to explore means of joint cooperation be-tween them and present ideas and proposals that would increase Omani exports.

The meeting discussed an idea of establishing an ECGA office at the OCCI branch in Sohar to sup-port Omani industrialists.

Eng. Khalid bin Khamis Al Jashmi, ECGA acting Director General said that the Agency is making great efforts in encour-aging Omani exports, besides undertaking an important role in increasing exports through in-surance coverage offered to local producers.

He said ECGA Oman decided to open an office in the Wilayat of Sohar due to the active industrial movement in Sohar Free Zone and Sohar Industrial Port. -ONA

O C C I , E C G A

Enjoy Shaun the Sheep show at City Centre mallsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: In celebration of Eid Al Fitr, Majid Al Futtaims shop-ping malls in Oman - City Centre Muscat and City Centre Qurum - will welcome the internationally-acclaimed childrens show Shaun the Sheep along with the fun-lled `Championsheeps games from July 7 to July 16, 2016.

After featuring in Wallace & Gromits 1995 short lm A Close Shave, Shaun the Sheep was giv-en his own television show and has recently made it to the big screen in a new feature lm. And now, the farm characters are brought to life, live in Oman!

The well-loved characters Shaun, Blizter, the Farmer and the ock of sheep will take to the stage performing live for children and families to enjoy at City Centre Qurum from July 7 to July 9 be-fore heading to City Centre Mus-cat from July 12 to July 16, 2016 at 5:00pm, 6:30pm, and 8:00pm.

Kicking off on the rst day of Eid Al Fitr, the shows storyline will be sure to have the little ones joining in when Shaun and Bitzer discover the Farmers secret an old dance mat and music machine. Children in the audience will be encouraged to help Bitzer teach the Farmer how to perform the dance steps and join Shaun and the Flock to learn a new dance craze.

In addition to the daily live per-formances, Shaun will be hosting the popular Championsheeps games, engaging the entire fam-ily starting on July 7 with several daily sessions starting at 4pm. Children can show off their skills in a number of activities and competitions such as hula hoop-ing, aerobics, line-dancing, hop-per race, Bitzers sack race and so much more.

On July 7 to 9, children can join in the Championsheeps at 4pm, 5:30pm, 7pm and 8:30pm at City Centre Qurum.

E I D A L F I T R

A8

REGIONM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

SURVIVORS: Iraqi security forces help civilians, who ed from Al Shirqat, because of IS violence, on the outskirts of Al Shirqat, south of Mosul, Iraq, on Saturday. Reuters/Stringer

Iraq commander declares defeat of IS in Falluja

FALLUJA: Iraqi forces recap-tured the last district held by IS militants in the city of Falluja on Sunday and the general com-manding the operation declared the battle complete after nearly ve weeks of ghting.

Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi claimed victory in Falluja more than a week ago, but clashes continued inside the city west of Baghdad, including in its central Golan district.

The assault is part of a wider offensive by Iraqi forces against IS which seized swathes of terri-tory in the country in 2014. A US-led coalition has been supporting the offensive, mostly in the form of air strikes.

We announce from this place in central Golan district that it has been cleaned by the counter terrorism service and we convey the good news to the Iraqi people that the battle of Falluja is over, Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab Al Saidi told state TV.

Flanked by jubilant ghters, some waving Iraqi ags, Saidi said a few militants were still holding out in buildings. At least 1,800 IS militants were killed in the opera-tion to retake Falluja and the rest had ed, he said.

The swift entry of Iraqi forces into central Falluja last week surprised many who expected a drawn-out battle with IS.

The success of the Falluja op-eration launched on May 23 gives fresh momentum to Iraqi forces in the campaign to retake Mosul IS de facto capital in Iraq and by far the largest city in their self-proclaimed caliphate.

Speaking from the newly recap-tured Golan district, army Colonel Ahmed al-Saidi described seeing torn IS banners and discarded weapons. Falluja has returned to us and Daeshs (IS) existence is becoming history, he said by tel-ephone. The next defeat of Daesh (IS) will be in Mosul.

Limited resistanceSabah Al Numani, a spokesman for the counter-terrorism forces that spearheaded the offensive told Reuters the insurgents had put up limited resistance in Fal-luja and folded after some of their commanders abandoned the ght.

Iraqi forces were now work-ing to dismantle bombs and boo-by-trapped houses, whilst pur-suing militants who slipped out of the city from the northwest, Numani said.

Defence Minister Khalid Al Obeidi said on Twitter around 90 percent of Falluja remained safe and habitable, comparing that favourably with the cities of Ramadi and Sinjar, which were recaptured from IS but destroyed in the process.

Fighting to recapture the Iraqi city has forced more than 85,000 residents to ee to overwhelmed government-run camps. The

United Nations says it has re-ceived allegations of abuse of civilians eeing the city, includ-ing by members of Shiite armed groups supporting the offensive.

The militants seized Falluja in January 2014.

The mayor of Falluja told Reu-ters that displaced families could return to the city within two months if the government and intentional aid agencies provided assistance. The city doesnt re-quires just rebuilding its infra-structure but also serious reha-bilitation of its society, said Esa Al Esawi. Daesh (IS) worked to brainwash people and we need serious programmes by the in-ternational community to help people get rid of Daeshs (IS) de-viant ideologies and restore their normal life. Reuters

Prime Minister

Haider Al Abadi

claimed victory in

Falluja more than

a week ago, but

clashes continued

inside the city

west of Baghdad,

including in its

central Golan district

BATTLE: Smoke rises from clashes with IS militants in the north-western Golan district of Falluja, Iraq, on Saturday. Reuters/Stringer

The swift entry of Iraqi forces into central Falluja last week surprised many who expected a drawn-out battle with IS extremist militants

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED African migrants react as they arrive at the CETI, the short-stay immigrant centre, after crossing the border from Morocco to Spains North African enclave of Melilla, Spain, on Sunday. Reuters

Bahrain activist Rajab faces 13 years in prison: LawyerDUBAI: Bahraini activist Nabeel Rajab will face trial for tweets con-demning the kingdom, his lawyer said on Sunday, and he could face up to 13 years in prison.

Rajab was arrested earlier this month on unspecied charges.

Jalila Sayed, Rajabs lawyer, told supporters in an e-mail that he faces a prison term for tweets he made last year.

First hearingThe rst hearing will be on 12 July 2016. Nabeel may face up to 13 years of imprisonment if con-victed in that case, she wrote.

There was no immediate comment from Bahraini authorities regard-ing the case. Rajab has repeatedly been arrested since 2011 protests. The Bahraini government earlier

this month announced that cleric Ayatollah Isa Qassim would be stripped of his citizenship and before that closed down Al Wefaq Islamic society. Reuters

C R A C K D O W N

Jalila Sayed, Nabeel Rajabs lawyer, told supporters in an e-mail that he faces a prison term for tweets he made last yearNabeel Rajab

CAIRO: Egypts Ministry of Sup-plies on Sunday dismissed allega-tions that its wheat procurement gures were inated and promised penalties for domestic suppliers that misreport stocks.

The ministry announced a gov-ernment-led inspection of wheat silos this month after an unusually high procurement gure prompted widespread fraud allegations from top industry officials, traders and parliamentarians.

If the numbers were misrep-resented, Egypt may have to buy more foreign wheat to meet do-mestic demand while contending with a dollar shortage that has already sapped the countrys im-port capability. Wheat industry officials and parliamentarians have appeared on television and in local newspapers in recent days saying that private suppliers have misreported stocks to boost gov-ernment payments on highly sub-sidised local wheat.

Missing from silosThe ministry, however, denies that any wheat is missing from silos around the country.

We do not believe the state has lost money or that funds have been wasted, the ministry said, adding that suppliers would be ned if found to be misreporting their stocks. There is a 25 per

cent penalty on quantities not supplied in addition to the price of the wheat itself.

A lawyer representing a group of wheat industry officials who are demanding an independent inspection of silos challenged the ministrys claims.

Why doesnt the ministry want a neutral committee formed to count some of these storage areas to clarify the truth of the matter?

the lawyer, Mohamed Heikal, said in a statement to Reuters.

But the ministry said on Sunday that -- independently assessed or otherwise -- it is not possible to veri-fy quantities held in each storage site until the wheat is fully discharged. There is no one able to estimate the quantity of wheat in a silo except by actually discharging the wheat in-side of it, and that has not happened yet, the ministry said. Reuters

P R O C U R E M E N T F I G U R E S

CONTROVERSY: The worlds biggest importer of the grain said it had ended its local procurement this month with nearly 5 million tonnes of wheat from its farmers, markedly higher than the 3 million to 3.5 million tonnes a year delivered over the past decade. Bloomberg le photo

Egyptian ministry rejects wheat fraud allegations

A9

INDIAM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

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Imposition of Emergency, dark night for India: Modi

NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jait-ley attacked the Congress over clamping of Emergency on its 41st anniversary on Sunday, calling it a dark night for the country and a blot on the party.

Recalling the Emergency pe-riod when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister, Jaitley asserted its impact was to inict a dic-tatorship on the country while Modi said the shining example of democratic powers of a com-mon citizen seen during that pe-riod should keep reminding the nation again and again.

Modi spoke about the Emergen-cy when he addressed the nation on his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

DemocracySometimes some people mock at my Mann Ki Baat programme and even criticise it. This is pos-sible because we are committed to democracy, he said.

...today when I am talking to you on June 26, we should not for-get that our strength is democracy, our strength is peoples strength

and our strength is every citizen. We have to take this commitment further and strengthen it, he add-ed. He said that the democracy, which empowers every citizen, had been suppressed on this day in 1975.

The morning of June 26, 1975, was such a black night when Emergency was imposed on the country. All rights of the citizens were taken away. The country was turned into a prison. Along with Jayaprakash Narayan, lakhs of people and thousands of politicians were sent to jails, he recalled.

The prime minister said it is the strength of the countrymen that they have lived this democracy.

When the newspaper offices are sealed and radio speaks only voice, people on the other hand make you realise the power of democratic forces. This is a big strength for any nation, he said in apparent reference to the Emer-gency days. He said there should be an attitude that people contin-ue to realise their strengths.

Jaitley targeted the Congress over Emergency and operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple among other issues and threw a challenge at the present Con-gress leadership, asking if it had any views and internal debate on them.

If one looks back at the history of the Congress Party after inde-pendence, the blots on it are eco-nomic reforms being delayed by over two decades, transformation of India in to a dynastic democ-racy, the imposition of Emergency in 1975, Operation Blue Star and corruption, the minister said in his Facebook post - Constitution-al dictatorship imposed by Indira Gandhi forty-one years ago.

The impact of the Emergency was to inict a dictatorship on the country, said Jaitley, who was imprisoned during the Emergen-cy period. On June 26, 1975, In-dira Gandhi imposed an internal emergency in the country, he said, adding the phoney reason she gave was that there was a break-down of public order in as much as

Jayaprakash Narayan had asked the police and the army not to fol-low illegal orders.

The actual reason, however, was that her continuation as the prime minister was threatened since the Allahabad High Court had unseated her as Member of Parliament for adopting corrupt practices during her election, he said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday called for inclusion of a chapter on the Emergency in textbooks, as there was a need to tell people about the atrocities committed during the period.

Around 75 per cent of the population is unaware why and how emergency was imposed in the country. Like independence struggle there is a need to tell the people about atrocities commit-ted at that time, Naqvi told re-porters here.

He was here to felicitate Lok-tantra Senanis (ghters for de-mocracy during Emergency) at a function organised by partys city

unit on 41st anniversary of its imposition. Naqvi said he would take up the matter with the con-cerned ministry.

They should realise how deep-rooted our democracy is. At that time people showed that they will not tolerate feudal mindset, arro-gance and autocracy, he said.

The minister said even after that Congress failed to learn a les-son and break free of the shackles of their feudal mindset.

That was the day when foun-dation of Congress-free India was laid. When we talk about Con-gress-free India, we mean that we want to rid the country from the feudal mindset, arrogance and au-tocracy. This is the reason that the Congress is shrinking from politi-cal map of the country, he said.

Naqvi said Congress could not digest the progress being made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.

Therefore efforts are made to create hurdles. The rst thing which Modi government did after coming to power was to remove power brokers, he said.

He said at time when the PM was discussing the nations growth with other countries, the yuvraj was visiting a university where alleged anti-India slo-gans were raised -- an apparent reference to Congress Vice-Pres-ident Rahul Gandhi and JNU.

Taking a dig at Delhi Chief Min-ister Arvind Kejriwal, Naqvi said the CM is trying to prove that only he is honest while the rest of the world is corrupt.

But when he gets exposed, Ke-jriwal becomes irritated and in-dulges in drama, he said. Naqvi claimed BJP would form the next government in Uttar Pradesh with a thumping majority.

The cycle of SP and BSP re-gime is over. As per the surveys and reports there is clear inclina-tion of the people towards BJP and they want us in power, he said. - PTI

The impact of the

Emergency was to

inict a dictatorship

on the country, said

Finance Minister

Arun Jaitley, who

was imprisoned

during the

Emergency period

SEMINAR: Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh with BJP senior leader Sushil Kumar Modi lighting a lamp during a seminar Save Democracy on Emergency in Patna on Sunday. - PTI

PM: Declare undisclosed income by September 30NEW DELHI: Indias Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to declare their un-disclosed income by September 30, making it clear that this is the last chance to avoid problems that will follow after the window of op-portunity closes.

He said no questions would be asked about the source of the un-disclosed income or assets if the declaration is made voluntarily by September 30.

For those having undisclosed income, the government has pro-vided a special chance to declare it by September 30, Modi said in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.He said by paying a penalty, those having undisclosed money can free themselves from various kinds of burden.

I have promised that there will be no inquiry into the source of the undisclosed income and assets if the declaration is made voluntar-ily.That is why I am saying it is a good chance for becoming a part of transparent system, he said.

Let me tell the countrymen that this chance is till September 30. Consider this as the last chance, the prime minister asserted dur-ing the programme.

He said he has told BJP MPs that if anybody faces any problem after September 30 for not abiding by the rules, no help should be pro-vided to them.

It will be better that you take advantage of the window provided and save yourself from the difficul-ties that you can face after Sep-tember 30, he said.

Modi said there was a time when taxation rules were such that people would tend to avoiding paying taxes.

But gradually, times changed. Now, for a taxpayer, it is not much difficult to abide by the govern-ment rules. Still, old habits die hard, he said, adding there are still people who feel that it is better to avoid paying taxes. - PTI

L A S T C H A N C E

Yashwant ays Modi government on NSG, says it is being misguidedNEW DELHI: BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Sunday ayed the Narendra Modi government over its vigorous push to get Nu-clear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership, saying there was no need for it as India stands to lose and not gain by becoming a member and alleged that people sitting in the government were misguiding it everyday.

The BJP veteran, who has often been critical of the Modi govern-ment after being sidelined in the party, said India should not have gone to the elite grouping as an applicant and should not ac-cept NSG membership as it has already got what it needs.

India which has shown so much keenness and desperation in getting NSG membership, it is not required at all. We are com-fortable outside NSG. If we be-come members of NSG, we will have more loss. There will be no gains for us. I say this strongly that India should not accept the NSG membership. We should not go there as an applicant. What-ever we had to get, we have got it, 83-year-old Sinha said.

His comments come after In-dias push for becoming a mem-ber of the NSG came a cropper at the plenary meeting of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group recently as divisions per-sisted over admitting non-NPT members with China leading the opposition to it.

Ahead of the meeting, India had pushed its case with a number of countries, with Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi leading the charge and also meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tashkent urging him to take a decision on Indias membership on merit while seeking Beijings support.

Whether those sitting in the government understand this (is-sue) or not, I do not know. But I know this that such people are sit-ting in government who are mis-guiding it everyday, Sinha said.

Sinha, who was external affairs minister in the previous NDA government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee, has spoken out against various aspects of Modi govern-

ments foreign policy especially its handling of Pakistan.

Congress on Sunday dubbed as event management the Naren-dra Modi governments push to get NSG membership and accused it of embarrassing the nation with its misplaced euphoria.

There was no reason for our

government to le the applica-tion. It was ill-advised -- the desperation, which the prime minister showed and also the pre-matured claims, which he made when he went to Switzerland and Mexico as if everybody is endors-ing us, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said. - PTI

C O M M E N T S

Whether those sitting in the government understand this (issue) or not, I do not know. But I know this that such people are sitting in government who are misguiding it everyday

Yashwant SinhaBJP leader

NEW DELHI: In its rst entry into any multilateral export control regime, India is all set to join the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) on Monday as a full member, three days after it failed to get NSG member-ship due to stiff opposition from China and a few other countries.

We applied for the membership of MTCR last year and all the procedural formalities have been com-

pleted. Tomorrow,Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will sign the document of accession into MTCR in the presence of Ambassadors of France,Netherlands and Luxembourg, External Af-fairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Signicantly, China, which stonewalled Indias entry into NSG at the just- concluded Seoul plenary, is not a member of 34-nation MTCR. -PTI

India to get MTCR membership

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Neighbouring country trying to destabilise India: Rajnath

FATEHGARH/SRINAGAR: In the wake of attack on a Central Re-serve Police Force(CRPF) convoy in Indian-administered-Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday clearly accused Pakistan of trying to destabilise India even as he said lapses, if any, in Saturdays incident would be looked into and status of inl-

tration ascertained.A three-member team of Home

Ministry officials will visit Kash-mir on Tuesday to nd out if there were any lapses involved in the attack in Pampore, the deadliest one on security forces in recent years, in which eight CRPF per-sonnel were killed and 21 injured. The team will look into the pos-

sible increase of cross border Inltration and practices being followed during the movement of paramilitary forces convoy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, while condemning the incident and pay-ing tributes to the deceased eight CRPF personnel, said the people

of the state were the worst suf-ferers of such attacks as these deprive them of development and employment.

Observing that such attacks defame the state, she highlight-ed that the strike had been car-ried out during Ramzan, the holy month when people should be seeking forgiveness and expiation for past sins and making sure not to hurt others.

After the attack, CRPF has moved about half-a-dozen heavy-armoured mine protected vehi-cles (MPVs), which were earlier used for anti-Naxal operations, to Kashmir Valley to effectively se-cure its troops deployed there.

An attempt is being made by these terrorists and our neigh-bouring country to destabilise India, Singh said in a clear ref-erence to Pakistan but without naming it.

I want to praise the bravery of our security men. I salute their courage. Terrorists attacked them (security men) deceitfully. But our security men killed those two terrorists successfully, he said addressing a function in Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab to mark the 300th martyrdom an-niversary of legendary Sikh War-rior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. Defence Minister Manohar Par-

rikar, in an apparent reference to Pakistan, said India seeks peace but from the position of strength and not from the posi-tion of weakness.

He said the attack is a fallout of frustration as he cited the re-cords of last one month during which 25-30 terrorists have been gunned down after their inltra-tion from across the border.

I am pained that eight jawans were killed. Why, how it happened and whose fault it was, it will be clear after an enquiry, he said.

Rajnath Singh said he has asked the Home Secretary to send a team to Pampore to look into any laps-es so that we can correct it in the future and our jawans do not face martyrdom in such incidents.

The team, to be headed by Sec-retary (Border Management) Su-shil Kumar, is to submit its report at the earliest. The other officials are Special Secretary (Internal Security) Mahesh Kumar Singla and Joint Secretary Gyanesh Ku-mar. We should greet and wel-come the bravery of our security people and the way they are work-ing with such valour and cour-age... India cannot forget those security men who got martyred. They are not with us now and we pay our tributes to them, the Home Minister said. - PTI

Home Ministry

officials will visit

Kashmir to nd out if

there were any lapses

involved in the

attack in Pampore,

the deadliest one

on security forces

in recent years, in

which eight CRPF

personnel were killed

Concerted efforts needed to combat drug abuse: Pranab

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said terror-ism, smuggling and drug activities are co-related and a concerted ef-fort is needed to break the nexus which was creating havoc in the countrys social life.

Regretting that the menace of al-coholism and drug abuse was lead-ing to a complete loss of values and rise in crime rate, the presi-dent said governments, NGOs and civil society members have to work together to eradicate these vices.

His remarks came on the occa-sion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Referring to the growing men-ace of terrorism, Mukherjee ques-tioned the sources of funding for growing terrorist activities and said many studies have estab-lished that terrorism, smuggling and drug activities are co-related. Unless these linkages are broken, it will be very difficult to ght all three, he said.

Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, said efforts should be directed towards bringing drug abuse victims into the mainstream society and make their lives a suc-cess. He also said his ministry is fully committed to implementa-tion of demand reduction strategy in the country. - PTI

S T R A T E G Y

ARMS CACHE: Army personnel display arms and ammunition re-covered from the two militants who were killed in an encounter, at Uri on Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir on Sunday. - PTI

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Towards an economic stimulation policyMohammad Mahfoodh Al Ardhi

The Sultanate of Oman recently selected ve banks to arrange an international bond issue that is worth $2.5 billion.This step aims to preserve the budget, continue to

fund government projects, and maintain an active Omani market. Many observers consider funding by bond issuance a signal of a weak national econ-omy and a decline in income. However, does this re-ally send signals of weakness or strength in the way future challenges are handled?

To answer this question correctly, we need to analyze two factors. Firstly, we have to consider the level of condence in Omans economy which was represented by high subscription volumes from in-ternational investors, totalling close to $6 billion. A strong interest from investors represents their be-lief in the Sultanates promising opportunities and its ability to continue the development process in various economic sectors.

Next, we must study similar past occurrences in other economies that had faced a decline in national income and subsequently had to reconsider their policies and their effectiveness.

The American experience after the Great Depres-sion in the rst half of the 20th century is a useful case study which shows us how bold nancial poli-cies taken by consecutive governments can result in positive outcomes. What did they do to handle the Great Depression? How was the American econo-my saved from its uctuating state between falling into a crisis and a total collapse? How did the United States manage to revert the enormous impacts of the Great Depression to become an international economic superpower? Can we consider the IMFs recommendations to remove subsidies on basic ma-terials and reduce spending on infrastructure and government development projects to be viable? Or could we nd better recommendations?

The Great Depression caused an unprecedented increase in unemployment, insolvent banks, and frozen projects. To deal with this crisis, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted an economic stimu-lating policy called The New Deal. He ordered the Central Bank to print more money, gave unemploy-ment aid to those who were unemployed, and start-ed a systematic approach to reform the economic structure. President Roosevelt then moved towards constructing giant projects, such as building bridg-es, roads, dams, desalination plants, and even new

cities. These projects that were nanced by addi-tional, development-stimulating cash poured large amounts of money in economic sectors, leading to a receding unemployment, increasing wages, and a growing demand for products. Frozen projects and plants went back to work again, while banks were revived after people began using them to deposit money. Only 18 months following the implemen-tation of The New Deal, the United States was no longer bankrupt. The same plan continued after World War II, with more cash invested to increase demand on products.

During President Kennedys era, the US started its space invasion projects, channeling more cash towards enhancing space research and NASAs activities. A wide range of scientic research pro-jects in medicine, agriculture, and production tools came about as a result of these activities. The same policy was applied during the reign of other Ameri-can presidents, leading to a surge in the ICT sectors contribution to the GDP. I believe that highlight-ing the American experience up until this point is enough for our purpose since those policies were unfortunately followed by a series of setbacks for the public sectors role, while the private sector ex-panded its role and become even more inuential than the states entities. A deviation happened in the development journey of this American experi-ence, causing more crises to appear.In short, the economic stimulation policy that leads to pouring more cash and increasing government spending has been the most successful policy to deal with crises throughout history, unlike the reduction in spend-ing, privatization, and receding role of the state in preserving our development. Stimulating the econ-omy needs an increase in liquidity, and borrowing from bonds is one path to ensuring this. The in-coming cash will result in products, services and nancial assets that remain in place after the bond is paid back.

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The author is the Chairman of National Bank of Oman and an International Advisor to the Brookings Institution. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reect those of Times of Oman.GCC needs to focus on innovation, R&D

This refers to the Opinion article, Oman GCC countries must encourage expat labour mobility(June 25). Such a policy would bring a pool of talent from all over the world, as a result a diversi-

ed economy could be achieved. Frankly speaking, the whole GCC just provides support services and sharing the revenue gained through oil as each and every move occurs around oil cash. Thus oil is like treasure in the ground. GCC should focus more on inventions, innovations, game changing patents, brands, products, R&D facility in every educational institution as a result bring the good brains from around the world and let them as exem-plied by US. Yasar Arafath, Muscat via Facebook

Bangladeshis free visa workers painted as the black sheepThis refers to the report, Free visa workers are haunting embassy officials in Oman(June 25). There are many more if not same number of free visa workers of

Indian or Pakistani origin or any other nationality for that matter. Only the Bangladeshi ones have been painted as the black sheep here. Tasneem Khalaque, Muscat via Facebook

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National committee on road safety meetsMUSCAT: Lieutenant General Hilal bin Khalid Al Maawali, inspector general of police and customs, presided over in his office at the police headquarters yesterday, the second meeting of the national committee for road safety. The committee discussed a draft of the internal regulations of it and the formation of two subcommittees: one for technical affairs and the other for traffic awareness. The committee also reviewed the annual plan for road safety to be carried out next year, obstructions to traffic ow on Muscat governorate road and accident-prone areas in the Sultanate.

1871: The yen becomes the new form of currency in Japan.

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disquieting hypothesis is that political partisanship is deterring

overseas investment in the US.

NOAH SMITH

The fog of rumour ew thick as news of qawwali maestro Amjad Sabris

death ran in tickers on the bottom of TV screens across the country. On

the evening of June 22, speculation ran rife over why the acclaimed

singer was gunned down near his residence in Liaquatabad.

TAHA KEHAR

Britain, I believe, had the best of all possible deals with the European

Union, being a member of the common market without belonging

to the euro and having secured a number of other opt-outs from EU rules. And yet that was not enough

to stop the United Kingdoms electorate from voting to leave.

Why?

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A massive re engulfed a building in Ruwi on Thursday.

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PAKISTANM O N DAY, J U N E 2 7, 2 0 1 6

Government fails to utiliseChinas trade concessions

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been unable to fully tap and utilise the concessions granted by China under the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) and only used 3.3 per cent of the total tariff lines, said a review of the rst phase of CPFTA.

According to official sources, the Ministry of Commerce is re-viewing the rst phase of the CP-FTA, which revealed that Paki-stan could only export in 253 tariff lines out of the total 7,550, where average export value was $500.

Pakistan mainly exported raw materials and intermediate prod-ucts such as cotton yarn, woven fabric and grey fabric while value-added products were completely missing, they said.

This is why Pakistan has not benetted from the CPFTA. Some of the value-added products like garments are included in the con-cessionary regime.

The officials said that Pakistan shared its concern regarding the insufficient utilisation of conces-

sion and competition faced by the local industries due to cheap im-ports from China. They said it was agreed that the tariff reduction modalities of the second phase would be designed in a way to ac-commodate all the genuine con-cerns of both countries adequately.

Pakistan and China are already negotiating for the second phase of Pak-China FTA since 2011, however, Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir recently said that the negotiations had been halted as Pakistani businessmen were protectionists and Chinese wanted more liberalisation.

The CPFTA on trade in goods was signed on November 24 2006 and implemented on July 7, 2007.

First banking channelThe FTA on trade in services was signed on February 21, 2009 and in operational since October 10, 2009.

Under the Trade and Service Agreement, Pakistan will open the rst banking channel of Habib Bank Limited in China by the end of this year and the Chinese au-

thorities have already given the ap-proval by relaxing the reserve limit from $20 billion to $15 billion.

Bilateral trade volume, which amounted to $4 billion in 2006-7, reached an all-time at $12 billion in 2014-15. Pakistans exports jumped to $2.1 billion in 2014-15 from $575 million in 2006-07.

Correspondingly, Chinas exports to Pakistan increased to $10.1 bil-lion in 2014-15 from $3.5 billion in 2006-07.

Pakistans major exports to China are cotton yarn/fabric, rice, raw hides and skins, crude veg-etable material, chemical mate-rial, sh and sh preparations and crude mineral.

Major imports from China are machinery (all sorts) and its parts, fertiliser manufactured, chemi-cal element, yarn and thread of synthetic bre, iron and steels, chemical material and product, vegetable and synthetic textile -bre, road vehicles and their parts, non-ferrous metals, tyres and tubes of rubber. - Express Tribune

Ministry is reviewing

the rst phase of

China-Pakistan Free

Trade Agreement,

which revealed that

Pakistan could only

export in 253 tariff

lines out of the total

7,550, where average

export value was $500

Authorities told to take measures to trace abductedSindh judges son

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali has directed authorities to make effective and concerted efforts to recover Sindh High Court Chief Justices son Ovais Ali Shah.

Advocate Ovais was abducted from outside a supermarket in the upscale Clifton neighbourhood on Monday noon, according to police.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan held separate meetings with Chief Secretary and Home Secretary Sindh, Director General Pakistan Rangers, Sindh Major General Bi-lal Akbar, IGP and other officials of the operation and investigation wings of police, at Supreme Court Karachi Registry on Saturday.

Chief justice observed that the abduction had sent wrong message to the masses and caused disap-pointment and sense of insecurity among judges and their families. Justice Jamali also directed chief secretary to employ all resources to ensure improvement in the law and order situation of Sindh in general and Karachi in particular.

Earlier, the Chief Justice of Pakistan was apprised about the measures so far taken by Sindh government for the recovery of the abductee.

Just two days after Advocate Ovais abduction, qawwali maes-tro Amjad Sabri was shot dead in Karachi while the whereabouts of the assailants still remain un-known. Express Tribune

K I D N A P P I N G C A S E

BEIJING: Pakistan, the sec-ond largest exporter of rice to China, has every opportunity to grab a sizable share in the halal food market as well as meet the demand for fruits, pri-marily mangoes, through bet-ter competitiveness in terms of quality and price, said Ye Anping, director for Asia and African Affairs, Department of International, Ministry of Agriculture, China.

Talking to a group of journal-ists from South Asia, who were on a visit to China, he said Pa-kistan and China should enter into livestock and agriculture quarantine agreements to clear the way for export of meat and agricultural products to Beijing. In reply to a question, he said the balance of trade in agricultural products was in

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