The Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) today held an open day event to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its establishment, with activities aimed at enhancing the public’s awareness of national security and deepening their understanding of its services.
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said at the event that the AMS provides a wide range of services to the public, such as participation in anti-epidemic operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and deployment to hospitals to assist healthcare professionals during the influenza seasons.
The other regular duties of the AMS consists of giving first aid coverage during large-scale public events, in country parks and cycling tracks during weekends and public holidays.
He added that training of the AMS has well-equipped its members to respond to challenges involving national security risks and emergencies such as “biosecurity” and “nuclear security” at any time.
The open day activities included game booths, medical seminars, health screenings, healthcare professional symposiums and display of emergency vehicles, giving the visitors access to health information and insights into developments in healthcare professions.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
SCST to visit UAE and Saudi Arabia Miss Law will visit the UAE from April 27 to 30, during which she will attend the Arabian Travel Market 2025. She will also meet with relevant government officials, trade representatives, and cultural and tourism organisations. On May 1, she will continue her visit to Saudi Arabia.
Miss Law will depart for Hong Kong on the night of May 1 (Thursday). During her absence, the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, will be the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. Issued at HKT 16:00
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The results of the Central Allocation for Primary One Admission (POA) 2024 will be mailed to parents from Wednesday to Thursday (June 5 to 6).
Parents who completed the Choice of Schools Form for the Central Allocation on or before January 28 this year will receive the Primary One Registration Form delivered from June 5 to 6 through the Local CourierPost service provided by Hongkong Post. If door delivery by Hongkong Post fails, a Mail Collection Notification Card will be left for parents to collect it from the designated post office starting from the afternoon of the following working day. If parents have not received the Primary One Registration Form or the Mail Collection Notification Card issued by Hongkong Post by June 7, they could collect the Primary One Registration Form at the designated collection centre from June 8 to 9 (please refer to the EDB’s POA System webpage for details then).Parents are required to register their child with the school allocated from June 11 to 13 (Tuesday to Thursday) during school hours.Should parents decide to give up the place allocated because of special circumstances, such as moving to another district far from the school allocated, they should not register their child with the school allocated. Under such circumstances, they are advised to go to the EDB’s School Places Allocation Section, Podium Floor, West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, to make necessary arrangements for transfer. They should bring along the Primary One Registration Form, the original and copies of documents showing proof of the new address (such as a rental contract, rates demand notes, or water or electricity bills bearing the name of the parent or the guardian of the child).
Any parent who finds it necessary to transfer his/her child to another school after registration is strongly advised to obtain an assurance of acceptance from that school before retrieving the Primary One Registration Form from the original school because retrieval of the registration form means cancellation of the allocated school place.
In case of inclement weather or other special circumstances during the period for the announcement of results or on any day(s) designated for registration, parents should pay attention to announcements on radio and television for special arrangements for Central Allocation or registration.
Enquiries
Parents wishing to obtain general information regarding POA procedures can call the EDB’s 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088. Further enquiries can be made to the School Places Allocation Section at 2832 7610 (for Hong Kong Island and Islands), 2832 7620 (for Kowloon), 2832 7635 (for New Territories West), 2832 7659 (for New Territories East) and 2832 7700/2832 7740 (for general enquiries) during office hours, as well as from 9am to 4.30pm on June 8 (Saturday) and June 9 (Sunday).
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Hoey Simon Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):
Question: (1) “Check-in Smart (HKDSE)”: to allow candidates to check examination information and perform self check-in before the examination; (2) “i-Invigilation (HKDSE)”: for invigilators to verify the candidates’ identities, confirm attendance, and count the answer scripts collected; and (3) “Centre Supervisor Control Panel”: to enable centre supervisors to monitor the examination operations, confirm the candidates’ attendance and answer scripts collected, handle irregularities and communicate with the HKEAA Command Centre. Prior to the commencement of the 2024 HKDSE, the HKEAA has developed contingency measures in the event of any issues with the PESS2. If the system is unable to function properly, examination personnel should handle the candidates’ attendance and the checking of answer scripts manually using paper forms. These paper forms were delivered to centre schools with other examination stationery in mid-March. The details of these contingency measures were outlined in the Centre Supervisor’s Handbook and explained to examination personnel during the PESS2 Briefing Session and the Centre Supervisors’ Conferences held in February and March 2024 respectively.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ9: Student Activities Support Fund The Government established in early 2019 a $2.5 billion Student Activities Support Fund (the Fund) to support primary and secondary students with financial needs to participate in school-organised or recognised out-of-classroom life-wide learning activities, so as to foster their whole-person development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the annual and cumulative (i) amounts of revenue and expenditure of and (ii) numbers of school and student beneficiaries as well as activities organised (together with the types and natures of the activities) under the Fund since its establishment;
(2) whether there are schools which have never or scarcely applied for subsidy under the Fund; if so, whether the authorities know the reasons for that, and whether assistance has been provided to such schools to ensure that all students with financial needs are given the opportunity to participate in life-wide learning activities;
(3) as it is reported that situations such as low birth rate, decline in the number of school-age children and the addiction of many students to online activities arise in Hong Kong, whether the authorities will encourage schools to make use of the subsidy granted under the Fund to organise more life-wide learning activities conducted in groups and physical settings;
(4) whether the authorities have received complaints on or identified problems in the operation of the Fund since its establishment; if so, of the follow-up actions; and
(5) whether the authorities have assessed if the operation of the Fund since its establishment can achieve its intended objectives; whether a comprehensive review of the overall operation of the Fund will be conducted in the light of the experience gained in the operation of the Fund, feedback of stakeholders, development of society, changes in students’ needs, etc.?
Reply:
President,
The Education Bureau (EDB) has been providing resources for schools to organise a wide range of learning activities and schools may deploy such resources flexibly to support student learning and offer after-school student activities to foster students’ whole-person development. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, the EDB has been providing a recurrent Life-wide Learning Grant (LWL Grant) with an annual provision of about $900 million to support public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools in taking forward life-wide learning based on the present foundation. The LWL Grant aims to help students develop lifelong learning capabilities and foster their whole-person development through the knowledge, skills and positive values and attitudes acquired in experiential learning. At the same time, the Government set up the Student Activities Support Fund (SAS Fund) in 2018-19 with an allocation of $2.5 billion, and the investment return of the SAS Fund has been used to provide the Student Activities Support Grant (SAS Grant) for public sector and DSS schools to support students with financial needs to participate in out-of-classroom life-wide learning activities organised or recognised by schools. While the SAS Grant is supplementary in nature, schools should make good use of the LWL Grant and the SAS Grant, having regard to their own development contexts and students’ needs.
Our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Tony Tse is as follows:
(1) and (2) The SAS Grant has been available for schools’ application since the 2019/20 school year. The amount to be disbursed to a school is calculated based on the number of students of the school in receipt of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) or the full-grant under the School Textbook Assistance Scheme (STAS full-grant) in that school year (based on the number in December of the school year). The rate for each primary student is $350 and that for each secondary student is $650. Noting that some families may be in need of support but are not in receipt of the CSSA or STAS full-grant for various reasons, so besides providing support for students receiving the CSSA or STAS full-grant, schools are given the flexibility to, at their discretion, deploy up to 25 per cent of the total provision of the SAS Grant for the school year to support students who are identified as needy according to the school-based criteria (e.g. students receiving the STAS half-grant) to participate in out-of-classroom experiential learning activities. Since the 2019/20 school year, nearly 95 per cent of schools have applied for the SAS Grant. For the schools which have not submitted any application, the main reason is that their numbers of students with financial needs are relatively small and they have flexibly deployed the LWL Grant and other resources to support student learning.
From the 2019/20 to 2023/24 school years, the incomes and expenditures of the SAS Fund, the numbers of beneficiary schools and the numbers of students are set out in the table below:
School year($ million)($ million)(Provisional figures)(Estimate)# Due to the epidemic, life-wide learning activities were generally reduced during the suspension of face-to-face classes. Consequently, the usage rates of the SAS Grant were lower than expected and the numbers of school applications were also slightly affected.
ecretary, Ministry of Cooperation attends signing of MoU between Ministry of Cooperation and Swiggy Instamart for onboarding of the Cooperative Dairy and other products Cooperative societies will also be able to connect with new customers by using technology
Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy
Swiggy will work with the Ministry to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building
Dedicated “Cooperative” category will be created on Swiggy’s platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, & handicrafts
Under the leadership of PM Modi and the able guidance of Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, Ministry of Cooperation has taken more than 60 initiatives for Cooperatives
Posted On: 26 APR 2025 4:07PM by PIB Delhi
Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani attended the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Cooperation and Swiggy Instamart for onboarding of the Cooperative Dairy and other products onto the online marketplace. The MoU was signed between the CEO, Swiggy Instamart Shri Amitesh Jha and the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Cooperation Shri D K Verma on Friday 25 April 2025. The signing of MoU will facilitate cooperatives to connect to new age customers through new age technologies.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the able guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah Ministry of Cooperation has taken more than 60 initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector of the country. The Ministry has recently taken many initiatives to provide access to market to the cooperative produce including the organic produce from the cooperative sector. After the MoU, the products under Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy.
The MoU aims to strengthen the cooperative movement in India by leveraging Swiggy’s digital platform and outreach. The partnership will encourage the onboarding of cooperative dairy products on Swiggy’s Instamart platform and provide support for preferred access, ensuring greater visibility and reach for cooperative entities. Swiggy will work with the Ministry to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building. A dedicated “Cooperative” category will be created on Swiggy’s platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, handicrafts, and others that are developed and promoted by cooperative organisations. This collaboration will facilitate cooperatives in connecting with new-age consumers through new-age technology, thereby expanding their digital footprint and enhancing their market presence.
In view of the United Nations’ declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, Swiggy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, will engage in an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements, organisations, and products across the country.
On 24 April 2025 Secretary Cooperation Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani had inaugurated of the state-of-the-art packaging facility of National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh which is dedicated to the packaging of pulses and a wide range of organic food products ensuring high standards of hygiene and quality.
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu attended the funeral Mass of His Holiness Pope Francis at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City today (April 26, 2025). Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri George Kurian and Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, Shri Joshua De Souza, who are part of the official Indian delegation, also attended the ceremony.
Regional Power Conference with North Eastern States Government establishments including Government colonies, should be prioritised for pre-paid smart metering : Shri Manohar Lal
Posted On: 26 APR 2025 4:14PM by PIB Delhi
The Regional Conference of the Power Sector was held on 26th April in Gangtok in presence of Shri Prem Singh Tamang, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sikkim and Shri Manohar Lal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs.
The meeting was also attended by Shri Ratan Lal Nath ( Minister of Power, Tripura), Shri. A T Mondal ( Minister of Power, Meghalaya), Shri. F. Rodingliana ( Minister of Power, Mizoram), Shri. Jikke Tako, MLA cum Advisor Power (Arunachal Pradesh), and Shri. Sanjeet Kharel ( MLA cum Advisor, Sikkim). The meeting saw the participation of the Union Power Secretary, Secretaries, (Power/ Energy) of participating States, CMDs of Central and State Power Utilities, and senior officers from the Ministry of Power.
Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal in his address underlined the importance of a future-ready, modern, and financially viable power sector to fuel the country’s growth on its journey towards becoming a developed nation.
He emphasized the importance of power in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat. He further remarked that the regional conference would help in identifying specific challenges and solutions in respect of power sector of the North Eastern States.
He mentioned that despite the minor gap of 0.1% in meeting current power requirements, efforts must continue to meet future demands. Since 2014, power generation has increased significantly, and various modes of generation, including thermal, hydro, atomic, and renewable energy, must be advanced. Addressing environmental concerns and moving towards non-fossil power is essential for achieving the Target of Net Zero Emissions.
He mentioned that through Government schemes like RDSS and PM-JANMAN, difficulties in the distribution sector are being addressed, and left-out households are being electrified. The Minister highlighted that the distribution sector faces challenges due to poor tariff structures, suboptimal billing and collection, and delayed payments of Government department dues and subsidies. It is essential to reduce the AT&C losses and the gap between Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realised, to ensure that the distribution sector becomes viable. To achieve that, it is essential that the tariffs are cost-reflective.
He also emphasised upon the execution of works under RDSS, including Smart Metering Works, would go a long way in improving the operational losses of the utilities. He also emphasised that the Government establishments including Government colonies, should be prioritised for pre-paid smart metering.
He mentioned that States should work towards ensuring energy security and given the Hydro-Power potential, including Pumped-Storage, in the North Eastern region, the States should make efforts to effectively utilize that potential.
Secretary (Power), Government of India (GoI) highlighted the need for capital infusion to meet growing power demands and drive future reforms and modernization. It was mentioned that, given the long gestation period for power projects, it is crucial to tie up for necessary power requirement as per the resource adequacy plan for upto FY2030 at the earliest. Further, it is also imperative to make necessary arrangements for intra-state transmission capacities as per the resource adequacy plan through various available financing models viz. Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB), Regulated Tariff Mechanism (RTM), budgetary support or monetization of existing assets. The Secretary also impressed upon the planning to be done by the States for meeting summer power demand through necessary tie ups.
Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sikkim in his address welcomed the guests and highlighted the key steps taken by the State towards improving the quality and reliability of power supply across the State. He also highlighted the proposed plan of the State for further improving the power sector. He also requested for interventions from GoI on various issues concerning the State.
The participating States thanked the Hon’ble Union Minister for the importance given to the North Eastern Region and also requested for continuous support of GoI for further strengthening the power infrastructure in the region.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs detects three dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drug worth about $19 million In the first case, through risk assessment, Customs on April 24 inspected an air cargo consignment, declared as LED lights, arriving in Hong Kong from the United States at HKIA. Upon inspection, Customs officers found a total of about 55kg of suspected cannabis buds concealed in 23 packing boxes in the consignment. After a follow-up investigation, Customs officer conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday (April 25) in Tsuen Wan and arrested a 58-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman. After that, Customs officers further arrested two men aged 27 and 26 in Yau Tong and further seized about 200g of other suspected cannabis drugs and a batch of packing tools from the vehicle they were travelling in. The first two arrestees have been released on bailing pending further investigation, and the last two arrestees had been jointly charged with two counts of attempting to traffic in a dangerous drug. They will appear at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on April 28.
In the second case, Hong Kong Customs conducted a joint operation with the Mainland Customs yesterday and inspected an express parcel, which was declared as coconut oil, arriving in Hong Kong from Thailand via Shenzhen at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point based on intelligence analysis. After examination, about 2kg of suspected liquid etomidate with an estimated market value of about $2 million were found concealed inside 4 bottles. After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation in San Po Kong on the same day and arrested two men, aged 14 and 24, suspected to be connected with the case. The two arrestees have been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug and the 24-year-old arrestee with one additional count of resisting a member of the Customs and Excise Service, they will appear at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on April 28.
In the third case, Hong Kong Customs today detected one drug trafficking case involving a passenger at HKIA and seized about 7kg of suspected heroin, with an estimated market value of about $5 million.
A 22-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected heroin inside his check-in suitcase. He was subsequently arrested. The arrested person has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on April 28.
Customs will continue to enhance enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary returns. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 21:50
Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting held under Brazil’s Presidency in Brasília on 25th April 2025. The meeting, convened under the slogan “Strengthening the Cooperation of the Global South for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, culminated in the adoption of a forward-looking declaration addressing two pivotal themes: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Work” and “The Impacts of Climate Change on the World of Work and a Just Transition”.
Sushri Karandlaje highlighted India’s human-centric approach to technological transformation, aligning with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Technology for Empowerment, Not Exclusion”. She highlighted India’s National Strategy for AI, which prioritizes ethical adoption, workforce upskilling, and sectoral applications in agriculture, healthcare, and education. Initiatives like FutureSkills Prime and the Namo Drone Didi program exemplify India’s commitment to creating tech-enabled livelihoods, especially for rural women and youth. The National Career Service (NCS) platform, powered by AI, was showcased as a model for bridging skill gaps and connecting millions to employment opportunities.
On climate action, India emphasized it’s just transition framework, ensuring green growth translates into equitable job creation. The Sector Skill Council for Green Jobs (SSCGJ) and Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) were highlighted as transformative initiatives driving skilling and sustainable practices. India’s achievement of reduction in GHG emissions (2020–2019) and its net-zero by 2070 pledge reinforced its climate leadership. Collaborative efforts with the ILO to protect workers’ rights during this transition were also emphasized.
Key Outcomes of the BRICS Declaration
The declaration commits BRICS nations to:
Promote inclusive AI policies that balance innovation with worker protection.
Advance social dialogue to ensure fair climate transitions.
Strengthen South-South cooperation on labour governance, digital inclusion, and green job creation.
India’s contributions were commended for aligning cutting-edge technological advancement with inclusive social welfare, reflecting Hon’ble Prime Minister’s mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”. The meeting reaffirmed BRICS’ collective resolve to build a future where no worker is left behind in the face of AI-driven disruption or climate challenges.