acquainting

Acquainting new sarpanches with provisions of Panchayat Raj Act

The Panchayat Raj Department has embarked on a comprehensive residential training programme for the newly-elected sarpanches in the district to acquaint them with the provisions of the Telangana Panchayat Raj (TPR) Act, 2018, and their designated roles and responsibilities.

The five-day residential training for the first batch comprising 100 sarpanches belonging to Kusumanchi, Nelakondapalli and Konijerla mandals has already started at Mahila Pranganam here on Monday.

Training in phases

The department has drawn up plans to impart training to the remaining 484 sarpanches in the district in different batches in a phased manner up to March 29. As many as 10 resource persons trained at the Telangana State Institute of Rural Development (TSIRD) have been roped in to conduct the training.

The programme has been designed to help the sarpanches get a grasp of the main provisions of the TPR Act to be able to discharge duties effectively, said Srinivas Reddy, District Panchayat Officer, Khammam.

Insight into GPs

The comprehensive training will allow participants to gain insights into the entire gamut of functioning of gram panchanyats (GPs), including financial management, resource mobilisation, sanitation, public health, execution of development works and economic development, he said.

Separate sessions will be held on Haritha Haram, poverty reduction strategies, agriculture and organic farming, social audit and other core subjects as part of training, he added.

Apart from catering to the training needs of the sarpanches, the government should ensure adequate funds to the GPs to help the sarpanches transform their GPs into model villages, said P. Krishna Rao, former secretary of the District Sarpanches Forum.

Newly-formed small GPs such as Kostala, Govindapuram and Stage Pinapaka in Wyra mandal have meagre revenue sources and the same is the case with most of the 167 new GPs that came into existence in the district last year, he pointed out.

In addition to the 14th Finance Commission and State Finance Commission funds, a separate allocation should be made in the State budget to cater to the needs of GPs considering their multifarious development and welfare-oriented tasks, he suggested.

Worldbex to champion bolder innovation and sustainability for 2019 seminars

Worldbex to champion bolder innovation and sustainability for 2019 seminars

(philstar.com) - February 20, 2019 - 1:47pm

MANILA, Philippines — Now on it 24th edition, the Philippine World Building and Construction Expo, or Worldbex, is back to host another high-yielding trade event, which is geared towards enriching limitless business-to-business opportunities.

Heralding the theme of “A World Built Bolder,” Worldbex 2019 aims to level up the standards of excellence for the industry, that is, by turning the spotlight on products and services that uphold a commitment to innovation and sustainability, as well as by acquainting the audience with the latest and most relevant insights and trends from the global construction and design scene.

In line with these objectives, Worldbex 2019 returns with the highly-anticipated Worldbex Seminars. This signature event features CPD-accredited seminars for architects, engineers, interior designers and other peers from the industry.

Worldbex Seminars vows to sustain the same caliber of distinction through a stellar roster of guest speakers from across the globe and a finely-curated selection of topics to address the most pressing issues of urban design and planning.

Architech Emelito Punsalan, vice president for Technical of the Philippine Green Building Initiative, will be presenting a talk entitled “Green Building in the Philippines and The Way Forward.” This will be followed by Toon Virochpoka, assistant vice president and senior architect for Design 103 International, with a talk entitled “Inspire. Innovate. Integrate.”

Ramon Abiera, executive director architect and environmental planner for the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines, will discuss “Excellent Design for Greater Efficiency,” and lastly, Gilbert Magbutay, general manager geodetic manager for GIBMA Engineering Service, will lecture about the 2018 edition of the National Structural Code of the Philippines.

Leading the discussions on the second day is Dr. Ma. Catalina Cabral, undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways and first female national president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, with her talk on “Sustainable Development in Urban Cities,” followed by Realrich Sjarief, director architect for R A W Architecture’s Design, and his compelling  talk on “Sustainable and Conscious Architecture, Exploration of Alpha Omega, and the Philosophy of Suwung.”

Amado De Jesus, head of PGAA Creative Design and registered and licensed architect, will present “It’s All About Sustainability,” and interior design sister duo Ivy and Cynthia Almario will both present “The Practical Feng Shui of Interior Designers by A Non-Fengshui Practitioner.”

The third day is not to be missed. Sought-after conference speaker Architect Daniel Lichauco will present “Sustaining an Architectural Practice: Starting at the Board Room.” Miguel Sousa, internationally-practicing architect, will present “New Trends in Architecture,” while Abner Pahilanga, national president of the Philippine Society of Plumbing Engineer will present “Design of Hydro-Pneumatic Water Supply,” and Ernesto Antonio Nasol, APEC-registered architect will present “Continued Professional Development - Its Relevance to the Profession.”

Organized by Worldbex Services International, the Worldbex 2019 Seminars will happen on March 15 to 17, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. during the 23rd Worldbex at SMX Convention Center Manila. For more information, you may contact Kim Dayo at (02) 656-9239 loc. 134 or email seminars@worldbexevents.com. For more information about WORLDBEX 2019, email inquire@worldbexevents.com, visit www.worldbex.com/seminars, or follow @worldbex on Facebook and Instagram.

Feature: UN tour acquaints Chinese visitors with China's devotion to world peace, prosperity

Tourist Harwey Li (2nd L) poses for a photo with his family at the United Nations headquarters, in New York, Feb. 5, 2019. During this Spring Festival, the number of Chinese tourists soared at the United Nations headquarters, and the number of Chinese tour groups at least doubled, said a UN tour guide. (Xinhua/Ma Jianguo)

by Xinhua writers Ma Jianguo, Xu Xiaolei, Lin Yuan

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Beijinger Harwey Li and his family visited the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the first day of the Chinese Spring Festival, acquainting themselves with details of the world body, and China's contribution to it.

"What a surprise for the Year of the Pig!" said Li in the company of his wife, parents and mother-in-law. A staff member of China Mobile's Hong Kong branch, Li included the tour to UN Headquarters in the itinerary of his family trip to the United States to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, which began on Feb. 5 this year.

"The UN is a household name to all of us and China is a permanent member of the Security Council. However, it is only after the hour-long trip that we learned China has now grown to be the largest contributor of troops among the five Security Council permanent members and the second largest contributor of budget money among all the contributing member countries in regard of its peacekeeping efforts," Li told Xinhua.

The family was also informed that China's ongoing poverty-relief drive is in line with the UN sustainable development goals and that "China is believed to be the biggest contributor in poverty reduction around the world."

Li and his family have gone on several overseas trips during Spring Festivals, having visited Japan and some Southeast Asian countries. This year, they took back home a stamp of memorabilia printed to feature their heads in juxtaposition with the UN logo.

"Li and his wife are very considerate. They made all the plans, reserved the hotel online and even bought frozen dumplings from a Chinese store so that we could well live the Chinese tradition of having Jiaozi (dumplings) on the first day of the Spring Festival," his mother-in-law told Xinhua, adding that the travel came into being through "crowd funding" within the family.

KNOWING UN BETTER

Ms. Wang from China's southwestern city of Chongqing brought her daughter to New York this Spring Festival and the UN trip was the highlight on their agenda.

"On one hand, children can broaden their horizon through the trip; on the other hand, they can learn a lot more about international politics, which is helpful to their study," said Wang.

Tang Lifang, who is currently studying in the United States, invited her large family to visit New York during this holiday. Although she has visited the UN in the summer of 2015, she was still impressed this time.

"Even if there was no guide and I could only look through the glass at the Security Council chamber, I could feel the solemn atmosphere. My family and I also learned much background knowledge, such as the UN General Assembly's 'one country, one vote rule,'" Tang told Xinhua.

"The UN is an open and friendly place where visitors are allowed to enter the meeting room even as delegates are discussing major issues or the meeting is under way," she added.

CHINESE VISITORS ON RISE

During this Spring Festival, the number of Chinese tourists soared at the United Nations Headquarters, and the number of Chinese tour groups at least doubled, said Jiang Yueyue, a UN tour guide.

It was estimated that around one-third of the visitors were Chinese. During China's public holidays, Chinese visitors would usually double or even triple, Jiang added.

Due to the surge, Marsh Oliver, a young American who is an English-language tour guide, was temporarily shifted to Chinese-language duty this Spring Festival. With one-year working experience in China's northwestern city of Xi'an, he looked warm and sincere while receiving his Chinese guests who regularly called him a "star guide."

Oliver had been guiding Chinese tourists for a week and might get busier in the coming days as the peak of Chinese tourists is yet to come for this holiday season.

"Xin Nian Hao (Happy New Year)!" he recited the greeting phrase in Chinese, which he frequently used these days. And, "Kung Hei Fat Choy (Wish you fortune and luck)!" was the opening remark that he adopted when meeting each group of tourists from China, said Oliver.