Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Kabul (BNA) The US donates up to $18.2 million to Afghanistan to praise good performances in some provinces of the country, where poppy cultivation had fallen to nil or found an eye-catching reduction, an official said Tuesday.
The fund is expected to be used to finance and develop the infrastructural and uplift projects in the provinces, where the poppy had been announced to reach to zero, Afghanistan Counter Narcotics Minister, Zarar Ahmad Muqbel who was signing the agreement with the US Law Enforcement Ambassador told a news conference in Kabul.
He said that $1 million of the fund would be used in the provinces such as Bamyan, Balkh, Ghazni, Faryab, Jauzjan, Khost, Kunduz, Logar, Nooristan, Paktia, Panjsher, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, Takhar and Maidan Wardak, where the poppy had reached to nil.
$150.000 would be used in Kandahar and as well as Kabul would receive $78,000, he detailed, adding the fund would help the farmers raise their capacity.
According to him, 60 percent of the poppy lands had been destroyed in two northern Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces, with only five percent of drugs are believed to be produced in the provinces with still poppy cultivation and 95 percent in the insecure provinces of Farah, Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan.
Poppy cultivation had risen in Farah and Uruzgan provinces, where the main reason can called insecurity, Maqbel said.
Calling the program too effective, US Ambassador for Law Enforcement, Stephen G. Mack said this was one of the successful projects used to praise those provinces with reliable performance on uprooting poppy.
The project would be launched in 17 provinces of the country, where the poppy had reached to nil, he said considering the US as the great supporter of Afghanistan.
The pledged money would be used in the basis of priorities and development council of the provinces, where the people would be provided with short-term employments as well, the ambassador vowed.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Kabul (BNA) Second Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Karim Khalili has described the struggle against addiction as a holy war.
He made this remarks in meeting with a delegation of Camp Mother and some activists of civil society from Bamyan province yesterday.
While lauded the services of Camp Mother in providing medical the phenomenon of addiction would tarnish the image of the country and called on aid agencies to fight the evil until its eradication from society.
The vice president also promised to support Mother Camp in its mission to rehabilitate drug addicted people.
Briefing the vice president, the head of Mother Camp said she had established the camp 18 months ago with personal assets and warned if not assisted would halt the operation.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Aybak (BNA) In accordance with the President Order, issued on the auspicious Miladun Nabi Day the reduce of term of detainees, five inmates were set free form jail in Samangan province yesterday, jail director in the province said.
He also added that the sentence term of 12 prisoners including a woman had been reduced.
Presently 240 inmates have been held in Samangan prison.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Kabul (BNA) The governor of Balkh province Atta Mohammad Noor presented his working report to President Hamid Karzai yesterday here. 
In the report which includes reconstruction process, security situation and development.
In talks with RTA, governor Noor said, during his visit to Kabul besides presenting the report on the situation in Balkh, also discussed observing the coming Nowrooz or New Years and allocating budget in this regard which was welcomed by the president. 
Governor Noor also said that the president issued necessary instruction with regard to safeguarding national interest and as provincial governor “it is my responsibility to implement”.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Kabul (BNA) The newly appointed commander of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) General Josef Duford held introductory meeting with President Hamid Karzai in Presidential Palace yesterday.
Accompanied by US ambassador here, the commander briefed the president about his working plans.
While welcoming the commander, president Karzai in the meeting also briefed the General about the security challenges lying ahead, saying Afghanistan as a sovereign state would take decision on important national issues.
The commander of NATO led troops also thanked president Karzai in the meeting.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Kabul (BNA) President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai met with a number of elders and religious scholars from some provinces of the country at the presidential palace yesterday.
According to the presidential press office, the representatives from Herat, Urozgan, and Kandahar, Zabul, Baghlan, Helmand and Kabul provinces in their meeting with the president expressed pleasure over the past years of performance and achievements.
They asked the president for tacking the problems faced by them in the areas of security and development in any parts of the country.  Meanwhile the president emphasized on restoration of peace and security through national sovereignty, and instructed for tacking their problems via the organs concerned in the said provinces.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Gardiz (BNA) The Afghan and NATO forces in a combined operation seized 700 kg of explosive from Zormat district of Paktia province.
According to ISAF, the Afghan and NATO forces discovered and seized the explosives which armed insurgents kept in their hideouts. 
Also, at the last 24 hours, the forces arrested 8 armed insurgents from relevant areas of Khogyani district of Nangarhar province. 
T. Suraya-Yarzada
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Herat (BNA) Nearly 60 developmental projects came underutilization in Pashtoon Zarghoon district of Herat province. 
The projects were completed by rural rehabilitation and development dept. with the cooperation of people with the cost of 69858,000 Afghanis. 
6260 household will take direct benefit from the projects. 
Aqa Mohammad Sediqi head of rural rehabilitation and development of Herat said BNA, the projects consists of a bathroom, 8 water canals, 17 small budges, 3 power plant, 5 social centers, retaining walls, potable water wells, construction of irrigation systems, and graveling of roads, which were completed from budget of rural rehabilitation and development ministry with 10 per cent cooperation of people via national solidarity program in different villages of the mentioned district.  From the beginning of the current year till now, 500 projects of national solidarity program have been completed in the different districts of the province and put for public utilization.
T. Suraya-Yarzada
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Sheberghan (BNA) The construction work of a dam on Nahri Safeed River which flows through Sheberghan city started yesterday. 
It is said that the construction of the dam carried out by a relevant dept. of Jouzjan, Said BNA, the dam with 85 meter length and 6 meter width will be constructed from budget of water and Energy ministry at the cost of 5,000 dollars within three month.  T. Suraya-Yarzadas
 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Kabul (BNA) Distribution of electronic ID which is an unprecedented decision yet to be made in the region was to be made in the region was a plan firstly taken by the country’s ministry of communications and information technology.
At the earliest council of ministers, the biggest matter was discussed and plan was made to collect information about the design, registering the name of the Afghan nationals, distribution of forms etc.
Most have been done on the process and work was still going on providing technical facilities and other needed equipment’s for the process which had been considered at the council of ministers.
Practical work on distribution of the IDs is expected to be started at the first month of the upcoming solar year.  The ministry of interior was obliged to provide information about the IDs and their distribution process, the ministry of communications and information technology had been instructed to prepare technical essentials as well the related organs practically and other state administrations ere asked for cooperation in this field.
The ministry of finance would provide an on time fund and expenses from the national budget and other donors and deliver to the ministry of interior, the national process which is expected to be started next month.
The process for distribution of the IDs can be considered as a helpful measure by the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as it was called more cooperative than those of the earlier.
Anyone can easily forge the currently distributed IDs (Tazkeras) which is changed into a usual paper and could be used anywhere by anyone even foreigners.
But, the electronic IDs can tackle all defections felt in the identity of the owners and help them use as voting cards during the election process and other government offices as documents.