Robot kills his co-worker in steel manufacturing industry

URGAON: A robot working in a steel manufacturing industry killed a co-worker in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India. The worker had apparently moved too close to the robot while adjusting a metal sheet that had come unstuck and he was pierced by the robot.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but he was dead by the time he was wheeled in. Ramji Lal (24), from Unnao, UP, worked as a loader for SKH Metals, an auto ancillary company, at the Industrial Model Township (IMT) Manesar.

Such fatalities are rare as robots are generally kept in enclosures to prevent contact with workers. On June 29, a worker at a Volkswagen factory in Germany died after a robot grabbed him and crushed him in place of a metal plate that the robot was crushing at the factory.

Ramji Lal was at work in the welding unit that has special-purpose machines and robotic welding lines. Around 63 workers and 39 robots were on duty when the accident took place.

“The robot is pre-programmed to weld metal sheets it lifts. One such sheet got dislodged and Lal reached from behind the machine to adjust it. This was when welding sticks attached to the pre-programmed robot pierced Lal’s abdomen,” a co-worker said. Another shop floor colleague claimed that had Lal approached the robot from the front and hadn’t stooped to adjust the sheet, the accident wouldn’t have happened.

Kuldeep Janghu, general secretary of Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union, told TOI: “The accident occurred due to the negligence of the management. No effort has been made to make the robots accident proof. We want compensation and an inquiry into the incident.” The union demanded safety measures put in place for all units using robots, he added.

Preliminary investigation shows the victim got too close to the robot and was trapped. The robotic arm went through him and he died on the spot, police said. “We are looking at CCTV footage and gathering information from workers and the company,” a police officer said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar said the company management and the contractor who had engaged the victim had been booked on charges of causing death due to negligence. The deceased lived at Aliyar Dhana, a village near Manesar, in a rented accommodation with his wife and four sisters. He had got married around a year ago.

Angry workers halted work at the factory in protest and a meeting between workers and the management was underway at the time of filing this report.

State Bank, SECP discuss corporate governance issues

ISLAMABAD, Aug 13:  The twenty third meeting of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Coordination Committee was held on August 12, 2015 at SECP head office Islamabad.  Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra, Governor SBP along with Mr. Saeed Ahmad, Dy. Governor SBP and other senior officials represented the SBP. Mr. Zafar Hijazi, Chairman headed the team from SECP side along with all Commissioners and senior officials.

The chairman SECP reiterated that effective enforcement of relevant rules and regulations as well as institutional strengthening would be major area of focus for the SECP as it embarks upon a new era of sustainable development for the capital market and the corporate sector in Pakistan.  The Governor SBP stated that regulatory objectives of the two regulators would be better served through ongoing consultative process between the SECP and SBP. He also stressed the importance of regular contact between officials of the two institutions at all levels.

The report “A study of the Pakistan Stock Market crises of 2008” submitted by the Committee constituted by the SECP “to study the 2008 Stock Market crisis” also recommended the development of procedures for improved coordination between the SECP and the SBP. It is for this reason that the SECP-SBP Coordination Committee meetings are held once a quarter and include high level officials from both institutions.  These formal meetings supplement the on-going regular coordination between the two regulators on all matters of mutual interest. These meetings allow the two regulators to share their viewpoints and collaborate with each other for the overall stability and smooth functioning of the financial sector.

ایس ای سی پی اور سٹیٹ بینک آف پاکستان کی مشاورتی کمیٹی کا اجلاس

اسلام آباد: (13اگست ) سیکورٹیز اینڈ ایکس چینج کمیشن آف پاکستان اور سٹیٹ بینک آف پاکستان کی مشاورتی کمیٹی کا تیسواں اجلاس ایس ای سی پی کے ہیڈ آفس میں ہواجس میں گورنر سٹیٹ بینک آف پاکستان جناب اشرف محمود وتھرا ، ڈپٹی گورنر اور اعلیٰ افسروں کے ساتھ شرکت کی۔ اجلاس میں ایس ای سی پی کی نمائندگی چیئرمین ظفر حجازی ، کمشنرز نے کی۔

اجلاس سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے چئیرمین ایس ای سی پی نے کہا کہ ایس ای سی پی خاض طور پر کیپیٹل مارکیٹ اور متبادل سرمایہ کاری کے شعبے کے لئے انفورسمنٹ رجیم کے ریگولیشن کو جامع اور مضبوط بنا رہا ہے جس کا مقصد سرمایہ کاروں اور عوام کے سرمائے اور بچتوں کو تحفظ فراہم کرنا ہے ۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ایس ای سی پی ملک میں کارپوٹائزیشن کے فروغ کے لئے بھی اقدامات کر رہا ہے تا کہ معشیت کوزیادہ سے زیادہ دستاویزی شکل دی جائے۔

گورنرسٹیٹ اشرف محمود وتھرانے کہا دونوں اداروں کے مابین جاری مشاورتی عمل کو مزید تیز کر کے ملک کے مالیاتی شعبے کے فروغ اور بہتر ریگولٹری ماحول پیدا کیا جا سکتا ہے اور دونوں اداروں کے انضباتی مقاصد کوبہتر طریقے سے پورا کیا جا سکتا ہے۔

ایس ای سی پی اور سٹیٹ بینک کی مشاورتی کمیٹی کا اجلا س سال میں چار بار منعقد ہوتا ہے ۔ ان اجلاسوں میں دونوں ریگولیٹرزکی باہمی دلچسپی کے تمام معاملات پر غور کیا جاتا ہے۔ ان اجلاسوں کے ذریعے دونوں ادارے اپنا نقطہ نظر بیان کرنے اور مالیاتی شعبے کے ریگولیشن میں بہتری لانے کے لئے ایک دوسرے کے ساتھ تعاون کرنے کا موقع ملتاہیں

Austria, Czech reducing visas of Gulf tourists ‘for ignoring environment, animal rights’

JEDDAH: The Czech Embassy in the Kingdom has indicated that the number of applications exceeds the embassy’s capacity for dealing with them during most of the year, especially between May and September, and between November and March.
The announcement coincides with attempts of the Czech Republic and Austria to reduce the number of visas issued to Gulf tourists because of concerns over their alleged lack of respect for the environment, public parks and animal rights.
In its announcement, the Czech Embassy in Riyadh urged all applicants to allow three months for processing a visa prior to the intended travel date to a Schengen country. As per Article 23 of the visa law, the regulations allow 15 days to accept or decline the application from the day it is submitted, and if needed, this can be extended to 30 days. If more documentation is needed, the period can be extended to 60 days.

The Parliament of Salzburg requested the central government in Vienna to reduce the number of entry visas to visitors coming from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after complaints from residents, Arab News reported on Thursday. The embassies in Riyadh and Kuwait have been asked to “provide booklets to all visa applicants about the cultural environment and laws of Austria related to environmental protection and animal rights.”

In turn, Saudi Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Abdullah Al-Asheikh, confirmed the occurrence of protests in the spa town of Teplice against the presence of Arabs and Muslims due to their wearing the hijab and environmental violations.
He said that violations by Gulf citizens last year prompted intervention from the municipality, as well as intervention by the Czech police to ask the embassies to monitor incidents. Though there were no incidents this year, the image of Gulf tourists remains negative among Czech residents, said Al-Asheikh.

Expatriats in Saudi Arabia send homes SR1.42 trillion

JEDDAH: Expatriates in Saudi Arabia have sent to their homelands remittances worth 81.6 billion Saudi Riyals in the first six months of this year compared with SR77.5 billion in the same period last year, local media reported. Expatriate workers in the Kingdom have sent home around SR1.42 trillion in the past 22 years (From 1994 to end-June 2015), according to data and analysis carried out by Al-Eqtesadiah.

Last year (2014) saw the highest-ever value of expatriates’ remittances, which surged by 3.6 percent or SR5.3 billion from SR148 billion in 2013 to SR153.3 billion.
Commenting on the latest figures, London-based James Reeve, deputy chief economist and assistant general manager at Samba Financial Group, said: “The increase is not large enough to have a major effect on the Kingdom’s balance of payments, which is dominated by trade.”
Said Al-Shaikh, group chief economist at the National Commercial Bank, told Arab News: “The pace of economic growth will moderate over the coming few years which will mean the demand for labor will be lessened compared to huge demand from 2004 to 2014. Accordingly, the level of growth in remittances will slow down.”
He said: “The increasing Saudization will also lessen the rate of growth of remittances.”
John Sfakianakis, Middle East director at Ashmore Group, commented: “Expatriate workers have for decades assisted the development of the Saudi economy. The development and construction of the Kingdom wouldn’t have happened had it not been for foreign workers since the early 1970s. Arab workers as well as millions from the subcontinent and Asia have helped the country move forward.”
In June this year, the Al-Eqtesadiah report stated that expatriates in Saudi Arabia transferred an amount of SR13.2 billion to their home countries, down three percent or SR413 million from the SR13.6 billion recorded in the same month last year.