NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Land Registry releases statistics for March

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Land Registry releases statistics for March——————-
    *   The number of sale and purchase agreements for all building units received for registration in March was 6 661 (+54.7 per cent compared with February 2025 and +32.9 per cent compared with March 2024)————-
    *   The number of searches of land registers made by the public in March was 393 010 (+16.3 per cent compared with February 2025 and +7.0 per cent compared with March 2024)Issued at HKT 15:00

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: A relatively dry and mild March

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    A relatively dry and mild March 
    The northeast monsoon over the coast of Guangdong was gradually replaced by a relatively dry easterly airstream on March 8. While it was mainly cloudy with one or two light rain patches that morning, there were sunny periods that afternoon and in the following two days. With a band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong, the weather became mainly cloudy from March 11 to 12, with one or two rain patches on March 12. Winds were weak over the coast of Guangdong on March 13. Locally, it was hot with sunny periods. With a humid easterly airstream affecting the coast of Guangdong the next day, the weather turned mainly cloudy with one or two light rain patches. Visibility was rather low in some areas and once fell to around 1 000 metres in the harbour.
     
    With a trough of low pressure over inland Guangdong developing into a cold front and moving across the coastal areas on March 15, heavy showers and severe squally thunderstorms ahead of the cold front brought around 20 millimetres of rainfall and violent gusts to many places in Hong Kong that afternoon. Hail was even reported at Tai Po. Under the influence of the associated northeast monsoon, the weather became drier and cooler in the following six days. There were sunny periods on March 16. Affected by a band of clouds covering southern China, it became cloudier with one or two rain patches on the next two days. With the departure of the band of clouds and the influence of an anticyclone aloft, the weather turned fine and dry from March 19 to 25. Under the influence of a southerly airstream, the weather became relatively humid with rising temperatures from March 26 to 28. There were fog patches and the weather was hot on March 28. The temperatures at the Observatory rose to a maximum of 29.4 degrees that afternoon, the highest of the month. A cold front moved across the coast of southern China that evening and brought a few rain patches and significantly cooler weather to Hong Kong that night and the following two days. Under the persistent influence of the associated northeast monsoon, the last two days of the month remained cold in the morning.
     
    There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in March 2025.
     
    Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for March are tabulated in Table 2.
    Issued at HKT 15:00

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ4: Education and talent development planning

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by Professor the Hon Lau Chi-pang and a reply by the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

    Question:

    It has been reported that the director of the film Ne Zha 2 chose to abandon a career in pharmacy in order to pursue his passion for animation production, ultimately achieving remarkable success. There are views that his story offers profound insights for education and talent development planning in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) as it is learnt that many university students currently choose to pursue careers in fields unrelated to their major, whether the Government will consider providing students with more macro and comprehensive information at the stage of subject selection in secondary schools and in life planning education, so as to deepen students’ understanding of relevant disciplines and professions and help them explore their interests and give play to their strengths; if so, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2) as there are views that a large creative team and talent pool are important factors contributing to the success of the aforesaid film, whether the Government will further strengthen the training and guidance on creative thinking for students in the curricula of primary and secondary schools; if so, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3) as there are views pointing out that Hong Kong’s current education system places too much emphasis on assessment and examination preparation, which is not conducive to the development of students’ creative thinking, whether the Government has plans to make improvements; if so, of the specific plans; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:

    President,

    Quality education is the key to nurturing talent, and is essential for the continuous development of the society. In the face of a complicated and ever-changing global environment, fostering creativity in students is crucial for their future development. As such, through kindergarten, primary and secondary education curricula, the Education Bureau (EDB) has continuously integrated elements that nurture creative thinking, facilitating students’ holistic development and enabling those with diverse interests, abilities and backgrounds to fully unleash their potential.

    Regarding the question raised by Professor the Hon Lau Chi-pang, I will respond in four aspects including school curricula, student activities and competitions, latest developments in the modes of assessment, and life planning education (LPE):

    (1) to (3) Nurturing creativity throughout the primary and secondary curricula

    The school curriculum developed by the EDB in collaboration with the Curriculum Development Council consists of components including knowledge, generic skills, values and attitudes. Creativity is one of the generic skills which emphasises students’ demonstration of creative thinking in new ideas or products grounded on a solid knowledge foundation. Students are required to integrate knowledge, discern details from observation, synthesise and apply knowledge, be eager to explore, display perseverance and commitment in the face of difficulties, and solve problems with creative thinking.

    To dovetail with the national strategy of invigorating the country through science and education, the EDB is proactively promoting STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and innovation and technology (I&T) education in primary and secondary schools. By integrating and applying knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology, students develop their capabilities of innovation and problem-solving through the process of knowledge creation and I&T inventions.

    At the same time, the EDB has reformed Science Education by introducing Primary Science and updating the junior secondary Science curriculum. A programme on artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted teaching has also been launched in junior secondary Science to foster pedagogical innovation. Moreover, we actively promote I&T education at the upper primary and junior secondary levels, such as teaching programming and AI learning to strengthen the cultivation of students’ innovative and problem-solving skills so that they can adapt to the ever-changing world.

    As for other Key Learning Areas, Arts Education promotes arts technology and interdisciplinary learning, and Personal, Social and Humanities Education promotes “entrepreneurial spirit”, both of which cover the qualities of creativity and innovativeness. At present, there are 55 Applied Learning courses offered at the senior secondary level, of which courses under the Areas of Studies “Creative Studies” and “Media and Communication” place particular emphasis on nurturing students’ creativity. Courses such as Computer Game and Animation Design, and Film Production are specifically designed for students interested in creativity and the media. In the 2024/25 school year, a total of 3 932 students enrolled in the related courses under “Creative Studies” and “Media and Communication”, reflecting that the courses are popular among students.

    Unleashing students’ innovative potential through diversified activities

    In recent years, Hong Kong students have had outstanding performances beyond the classroom in various fields, such as science and technology, and creative thinking, etc. Much to our delight, they bring glory to Hong Kong with remarkable achievements in international or major competitions, such as the International Mathematical Science and Creativity Competition, Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.

    The EDB also provides diversified activities to offer students with more opportunities to unleash their creativity. We also arrange for students with potential in STEAM to participate in systematic training and competitions of a considerable scale, and they have thrived and flourished on international stages time and again. The EDB also continues to collaborate with the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education to promote the effective use of the “school-based student talent pool”, so as to identify students who are gifted in different areas. At the same time, we arrange for students to engage in exchanges with arts and cultural specialists from the Mainland, so that students can gain an understanding of the country’s development and outstanding achievements.

    Developing students’ potential by integrating creativity into assessment

    Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum and learning and teaching. Students’ performance both within and beyond the classroom can reflect their learning progress and inform learning and teaching. The current assessment policy no longer relies solely on the conventional modes of assessment, but employs diversified formative assessments to promote student learning on all fronts and stimulate their learning motivation and curiosity. We have always recommended schools to adopt diversified assessment modes and assignment designs that allow students to demonstrate their learning outcomes and unleash their creativity in the forms of text, images, physical models and others. 

    The EDB continues to organise professional training activities for teachers and develop learning and teaching resources to support teachers in designing assessments and assignments. We also encourage schools to review and optimise their assessment policies, so as to enable students to participate in more inspiring learning activities and develop their potential.

    Starting life planning early in age to understand aspirations

    To help students understand early their own aspirations, interests and abilities, and develop a broader view of further studies, future careers and pathways, the EDB has strengthened LPE at primary and secondary levels.

    Regarding information on subject choices, the EDB organises talks for parents annually and updates the website “One-stop Portal on Articulation to Multiple Pathways·Transition to Senior Secondary and Post-secondary Education” to disseminate the latest information on elective subjects and multiple pathways.

    In addition, through the Life Planning Information website, the EDB provides the latest career information of over 300 types of work from different industries, including director and stage designer, etc. On the website, there is also an online learning system, “My Life Planning Portfolio”, for students to conduct career aptitude assessments.

    The EDB also implements the Business-School Partnership Programme (BSPP) in collaboration with different business corporations, government departments and community organisations. Through the non-traditional learning platform provided by BSPP partners, students have been provided with diversified career exploration activities, with a view to equipping them with knowledge and information about different industries, including arts, culture and entertainment industries. In the 2022/23 school year, the EDB further promoted co-operation between the business sector and schools through launching the BSPP 2.0 with more business partners, covering more industries for widening students’ exposure. Holiday Work Experience Programmes arranged under the BSPP 2.0 enable senior secondary students to gain first-hand experience and understand different industries, including animation production and performing arts industries. Study tours to workplaces under the “Greater Bay Area Career Exploration Tours” Programme also deepen students’ understanding of the developments and talent needs of various industries in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.

    To conclude, the EDB will continue to optimise the curriculum and collaborate with different stakeholders to nurture students’ creativity through diversified strategies, with a view to cultivating talent for our society.

    Thank you, President.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPACT OF FTAS AND PTAS ON EXPORTS

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 1:03PM by PIB Delhi

    The details of India’s export of Cotton, Man-made, Wool, Silk and Technical Textiles during the last three years is attached at below.

    India has signed 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and 6 Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with its trading partners to give boost to India’s exports.

    The Government is implementing various schemes/initiatives to promote Indian textiles sector and enhance its competitiveness. The major schemes/initiatives include PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme to create a modern, integrated, world class textile infrastructure; Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme focusing on MMF Fabric, MMF Apparel and Technical Textiles to boost large scale manufacturing and enhancing competitiveness; National Technical Textiles Mission focusing on Research Innovation & Development, Promotion and Market Development; SAMARTH – Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector with the objective providing demand driven, placement oriented, skilling program.

    Further, Government is also implementing Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme for Apparel/Garments and Made-ups in order to enhance competitiveness by adopting principle of zero rated exports. Further, textiles products not covered under the RoSCTL scheme are covered under Remissions of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) along with other products. In addition, Government provides financial support to various Export Promotion Councils and Trade Bodies under Market Access Initiative Scheme implemented by Department of Commerce for organising and participating in trade fairs, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets etc at national and international levels.

    Ministry of Textiles through Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms) promotes Handloom products of the country by implementing following schemes:

    1. National Handloom Development Programme;
    2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;

     

    • Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided to eligible handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, procurement of upgraded looms & accessories, solar lighting units, construction of workshed, skilling, product & design development, technical and common infrastructure, marketing of handloom products in domestic & international markets, concessional loans under weavers’ MUDRA scheme and social security etc.
    • Assistance in establishing international marketing linkages to suitable Apex/Primary handloom cooperative societies, corporations, producers’ companies, handloom awardees, exporters, other talented weavers etc. who are producing exclusive exportable handloom products.
    • Market penetration through organisation/participation in international fairs/exhibitions, big ticket events, Buyer Sellers Meet, Reverse Buyer Sellers Meet etc., for export promotion of handloom products. Publicity and brand development through India Handloom Brand (IHB), Handloom Mark (HLM) and other measures.
    • Raw Material Supply Scheme (RMSS) is being implemented throughout the country to make available yarn to handloom weavers. Under the scheme, fright charges are reimbursed for all types of yarn; and component of 15% price subsidy is there for cotton hank yarn, domestic silk, wool and linen yarn and blended yarn of natural fibres.

    Around 2,600 handicrafts exporters registered with Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) were supported through participation in International trade fairs and Buyer Seller Meets organized in India and abroad under MAI Scheme of Department of Commerce. Around 582 member exporters of the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) were provided marketing support during 2024-25 (upto February 2025) under various schemes of the ministries.

    Ministry of Textiles promotes the provision of Geographical Indication (GI) of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act 1999, in respect of handloom & handicrafts products of pan India under the scheme, National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) & National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP) respectively. Under the above scheme, financial assistance is provided for meeting the expenses in registering the designs/products, imparting training to personnel of implementing agencies and effective enforcement of G.I. registration. So far, a total no. of 214 handicrafts products and 104 handloom products, out of a total no. of 658 GI tagged products have been registered under the GI Act.

    To increase more marketing opportunities, the office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) implementing various domestic & international marketing events under National Handicraft Development Programmes (NHDP) across the country wherein artisans are being provided a platform to sell their products. Further, an e-commerce portal (www.Indiahandmade.com) has been launched specifically for artisans & weavers where they can sell their products to buyers from all over the country. Artisans are being also onboarded on GeM portal where they can sell their products to government offices/PSU etc. 

     

    India’s export of Cotton, Man-made, Wool, Silk during the last three years:

    Value in USD Million

    Commodity

    FY 2021-2022

    FY 2022-2023

    FY 2023-2024

    Cotton Yarn

    5,498

    2,752

    3,780

    Other textile yarn, fabrics, madeups etc

    650

    730

    731

    Cotton Raw Incld. Waste

    2,816

    781

    1,117

    Cotton Fabrics, Madeups Etc.

    8,201

    6,821

    6,630

    Cotton Textiles

    17,166

    11,085

    12,258

    Manmade Staple Fibre

    680

    463

    402

    Manmade Yarn, Fabrics, Madeups

    5,615

    4,949

    4,679

    Man-made textiles

    6,294

    5,412

    5,081

    Wool Raw

    0

    1

    1

    Wollen Yarn, Fabrics, Madeups Etc.

    166

    204

    192

    Wool & Woolen textiles

    166

    205

    192

    Natural Silk Yarn, Fabrics, Madeup

    79

    72

    79

    Silk Raw

    2

    0

    2

    Silk Waste

    28

    22

    38

    Silk Products

    109

    95

    119

         Source: DGCIS provisional data

      

       India’s export of Technical Textiles during the last three years:

                                                                                                  Value in Rs. crore

    Commodity

    FY 2021-2022

    FY 2022-2023

    FY 2023-2024

    Technical Textiles

    21,194.62

    20,095.52

    21,407.38

              Source: Ministry of Commerce

     

    This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

    ******

    DHANYA SANAL K

    (Lok Sabha US Q4961)

    (Release ID: 2117660) Visitor Counter : 61

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ5: Functions of Radio Television Hong Kong and the Information Services Department

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ5: Functions of Radio Television Hong Kong and the Information Services Department 
         Radio Television Hong Kong and the Information Services Department are government departments under the purview of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau respectively. There are views that the aforesaid two departments, both being official media agencies, have overlapping functions. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the specific functions and staff establishment of the two departments;
     
    (2) whether it will, under the financial philosophy of keeping the expenditure within the limits of revenues while exploring new sources of income and managing costs, review how the structure of the two departments can be streamlined to reduce expenditure; and
     
    (3) whether it has explored ways to further enhance the compatibility of the two departments and the feasibility of their merger; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Having consulted the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Information Services Department (ISD), our consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Junius Ho is as follows:
     
         As a government department and the only public service broadcaster in Hong Kong, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) firmly implements the public purposes and mission under the Charter of RTHK, including promoting understanding of “one country, two systems”, proactively assisting in strengthening the dissemination of government information, engendering a sense of citizenship and national identity, and promoting sports and culture and social inclusion. RTHK currently operates five digital television channels and eight AM/FM radio channels. Unlike commercial broadcasters, programmes produced and broadcast by RTHK have to cater for the needs of the mass audience as well as the minority groups including ethnic minorities and the non-Chinese speaking group etc. In this connection, apart from disseminating government information, the radio and television programmes of RTHK also cover various aspects including news, public affairs, national education, sports, culture, lifestyle and education programmes etc.
     
         As for the ISD, it is responsible for the Government’s public relations, news dissemination, publicity and publication matters, and serves as a communication link between the Government and mass media including newspapers, television, radio, and magazines. The ISD also makes good use of the Internet, disseminating government information to the public directly by multi-media content so as to enhance the public’s understanding of and support for the Government’s work. In addition, the ISD also provides professional public relations advice to the Government and promotes government policies and services through different communication platforms and means (including RTHK), with a view to projecting an accurate image of Hong Kong within and outside the city while telling the good stories of Hong Kong.
     
         In view of the above, although RTHK and the ISD are both government departments and both carry the responsibility of disseminating government information, RTHK, as the public service broadcaster; and the ISD, being responsible for the Government’s public relations, perform different duties. There is no overlapping of their functions. As regards staff establishment, the establishment ceilings of RTHK and the ISD in 2024-25 are 762 and 451 posts respectively. Most of the civil service posts of RTHK belong to the Programme Officer grade while most of the civil service posts of the ISD belong to the Information Officer grade. The requirements for work nature, skills and experience of the two grades are different and hence merging the two departments with distinct functions may not be the most effective way to increase revenue and reduce expenditure in terms of overall operations. In addition, regardless of whether the merge would be implemented by having the Director of Information Services or the Director of Broadcasting to oversee both the ISD and RTHK, it would be difficult for the head of the merged department to manage the work of the two departments of which their missions, scopes of services and modes of operation are distinctly different. On the contrary, the merge may confuse the public with the role of RTHK as a public service broadcaster and the ISD in promoting the Government, which may be counterproductive to the Government’s overall public relations works.
     
         Notwithstanding the above, in response to the Productivity Enhancement Programme announced in the 2025-26 Budget, both RTHK and the ISD will comprehensively review their staffing and operation. In particular, RTHK will introduce appropriate measures including streamlining its structure and utilising technology for programme production etc to reduce manpower without affecting the quality of RTHK’s programmes and services. At present, RTHK has been committed to deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in developing smart broadcasting. Last year, RTHK officially launched the AI Lab, streamlining production flow with AI technology, as well as adopting various AI-generated tools to enhance productivity. This will not only improve the quality of programmes but also result in a more cost-effective use of manpower. Besides, the ISD will continue to make effective use of existing platforms of the Government while keeping in view market developments and global trends to step up the Government’s work in policy promotion and information dissemination. The ISD will also closely monitor the implementation of programmes under its purview and review their effectiveness regularly for the sake of more flexible and effective use of resources.
     
         Despite the different roles of RTHK and the ISD, we agree that the two departments can co-operate with each other and leverage their strengths, to promote government’s policies and disseminate government information more effectively. As such, both sides will continue to strengthen collaboration, for instance, the ISD is actively planning to work with RTHK on programme production under the theme of “Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance” to promote patriotism through storytelling in a vivid manner. RTHK can leverage the ISD’s strength in running a wide range of platforms and make use of those platforms to enhance the reach of its programmes, taking advantage of the synergy to tell good stories of the country and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, RTHK will continue to solidify its role as the public service broadcaster, including striving to strengthen its partnership with different broadcasters in the Mainland and other regions, continuing to produce different types of programmes on various themes in order to provide diversified radio and television programme choices for the public.
    Issued at HKT 14:50

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Government cautions public on fake information about so-called “Government Investment Platform”

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    A government spokesman today (April 2) cautioned the public not to believe in a video circulating online, which appears to be artificially generated and falsely presents the Financial Secretary promoting a so-called “Government Investment Platform”. The Government clarified that the information is totally fictitious and is intended to deceive. The spokesman advises the public not to fall for the scam. The matter has been referred to the Police for further investigation.
     

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Over 1 Million Resources Hired Through GeM in FY 2024-25

    Source: Government of India

    Over 1 Million Resources Hired Through GeM in FY 2024-25

    GeM Revolutionises Government’s Manpower Outsourcing Service

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 12:20PM by PIB Delhi

    Digital procurement platform, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), has achieved a significant milestone by facilitating the hiring of over 1 million manpower resources by government organizations in the current fiscal year (2024-25). This milestone underscores GeM’s commitment to transforming public procurement through transparency, compliance, and efficiency.

    Manpower outsourcing of GeM provides government buyers with a seamless solution to hire outsourced resources. Over 33,000 service providers on the platform enable buyers to engage manpower based on diverse criteria, including minimum wages and fixed remuneration. Various skilled and unskilled roles such as Security Personnel, Horticulture Staff, Multi-Tasking Staff, Data Entry Operators, and Facility Management Professionals can be hired through the portal.

    Speaking on this achievement, CEO of GeM, Shri Ajay Bhadoo, stated, “GeM has harnessed digital capabilities and has emerged as a one-stop-shop for procurement of all possible services required by government buyers at various levels of administration. Our manpower outsourcing service not only simplifies the hiring process for government organizations but also ensures strict labour compliance through our comprehensive Service Level Agreement.”

    Key features of GeM’s manpower outsourcing service include:

    • Flexibility to select resources based on skills, profiles, educational qualifications, and experience
    • Specialized role categories addressing specific government needs
    • Transparent pricing models, including minimum wage and fixed remuneration options
    • Comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA) framework ensuring legal compliance and clear obligations for all parties

    GeM’s adherence with labour laws and regulations ensures that all transactions meet statutory requirements, providing government buyers with peace of mind while engaging outsourced resources.

    The milestone of 1 million manpower resources hired through GeM in FY 2024-25 demonstrates the growing trust and adoption of the platform across government sectors.

    Established in 2016, GeM provides government buyers with an end-to-end digital platform to carry out public procurement at cost-effective rates. In FY 2019-20, the platform expanded to include services as a separate segment, initially offering basic services like manpower hiring, cab hiring, security services, and cleaning & sanitation services. Over the last five years, GeM has expanded its portfolio to more than 330 services, including complex offerings like drone services, AR/VR services, cloud services, and cybersecurity services.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/ Abhijith Narayanan/ Ishita Biswas

    (Release ID: 2117636) Visitor Counter : 64

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Country Parks Hiking and Planting Day 2025

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Country Parks Hiking and Planting Day 2025May 4              Wong Nai Tun Irrigation Reservoir, Tai Lam Country Park
    An AFCD spokesman said, “The event aims to promote messages related to caring for nature and tree preservation via public engagement activities. AFCD staff and volunteers will share information on the seedlings and promote hiking etiquette to enhance participants’ awareness of nature conservation.”       
    Seedlings for the tree planting activities were raised in the Tai Tong Nursery of the AFCD in Yuen Long. The department has been planting local species in country parks to enhance the biodiversity and ecological value of country parks in recent years. About 230 000 tree seedlings were planted in country parks last year by AFCD staff and various organisations.
          
    Details of the activities and the latest information are available on the Nature in Touch website (www.natureintouch.gov.hkIssued at HKT 15:32

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ12: Promoting the setting up of family offices in Hong Kong

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Jeffrey Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:
     
         The Government has proposed in the latest Budget that it will formulate proposals on the preferential tax regimes for funds, single family offices and carried interest, and develop a vibrant ecosystem for family offices. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) given that the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Family-owned Investment Holding Vehicles) Bill 2022 was passed by this Council in 2023, which sought to provide profits tax concessions for family-owned investment holding vehicles managed by single family offices in Hong Kong, whether the authorities have assessed the adequacy of such tax concession measures and their effectiveness in encouraging family offices to establish a business presence in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) as it is learnt that a single family office is not required to apply for any licence under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) if it does not carry on a business of regulated activity in Hong Kong, whether the Government has estimated the number of family offices in Hong Kong which have not applied for such licence; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (3) of the progress and details of the Government’s formulation of proposals on the preferential tax regimes for funds, single family offices and carried interest this year; and
     
    (4) whether it will study encouraging more Mainland high-net-worth individuals to make cross-border investments through family offices set up in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Family office (FO) business is an important segment of the asset and wealth management sector. According to the Asset and Wealth Management Activities Survey 2023 published by the Securities and Futures Commission, the size of private banking and private wealth management business attributed to FOs and private trusts clients reached $1,452 billion as of end-2023, providing huge business opportunities for the asset and wealth management sector and other related professional services. In consultation with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
     
    (1) and (3) The Legislative Council passed the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Family-owned Investment Holding Vehicles) Bill 2022 in May 2023, under which family-owned investment holding vehicles managed by single FOs in Hong Kong fulfilling the minimum asset threshold of HK$240 million and substantial activities requirement can enjoy profits tax exemption for qualifying transactions. The Government have maintained communication with the industry to evaluate the effectiveness of the tax concession regime, and announced in the 2025-26 Budget the proposals to further enhance the preferential tax regimes for funds, single FOs and carried interest, including expanding the scope of “fund” under the tax exemption regime, increasing the types of qualifying transactions eligible for tax concessions for funds and single FOs, enhancing the tax concession arrangement on the distribution of carried interest by private equity funds. The Government have completed the industry consultation on the enhancement measures on the preferential tax regimes. The Government are formulating the relevant enhancement measures with financial regulators based on the feedback received. The Government target to work out the details of the proposals by this year and submit the legislative proposals to the Legislative Council for consideration in 2026. If approved, the relevant measures will take effect from the year of assessment 2025/26.
     
    (2) and (4) A single FO is not required to apply for a licence under the Securities and Futures Ordinance if it does not carry on a business of regulated activity in Hong Kong. According to the research findings of the consultant commissioned by InvestHK and publicised in March 2024, there were around 2 700 single FOs operating in Hong Kong as of end-2023, with over half of them set up by ultra-high-net-worth individuals having a wealth of US$50 million or above. Meanwhile, since its establishment in June 2021 up to end-February 2025, the dedicated FamilyOfficeHK team of InvestHK has assisted over 160 FOs to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong (including 135 FOs having set up or expanded their business in Hong Kong after the profits tax exemption regime for single FOs has taken effect), including 98 single FOs and 63 multi-FOs. Currently, around 150 FOs have indicated that they are preparing or have decided to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong as tabulated below by geographical region:
     

    Region FOs preparing or having decided to set up or expand business in
    Hong Kong
    Mainland and Taiwan, China 82
    Europe and Americas 34
    Asia Pacific and Oceania 22
    Middle East 9
    Total 147

     
         InvestHK will continue to conduct diversified investment promotion activities (e.g. roundtables, seminars, meetings with investors, media interviews and external visits) to proactively reach out and encourage more high-net-worth individuals (including high-net-worth individuals from the Mainland) to set up FOs in Hong Kong. Furthermore, investors from the Mainland currently can make investment in Hong Kong through various mutual access arrangements. The Government has been actively exploring opportunities to introduce further expansion initiatives, including enhancements to the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect has been further enhanced since February 2024 to increase individual investor quota, lower the threshold for participating in the Southbound Scheme, expand the scope of participating institutions, the scope of eligible investment products, and enhance the promotion and sales arrangements. The Government will continue to discuss with financial regulatory authorities in the Mainland on various cross-boundary remittance arrangements, including how to provide more facilitation arrangements while ensuring that the risks are manageable.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ11: Overseas-trained physiotherapists and occupational therapists

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ11: Overseas-trained physiotherapists and occupational therapists 
    Question:
     
         Some professional bodies for physiotherapy and occupational therapy in Hong Kong have indicated that it takes at least eight months for Hong Kong physiotherapists and occupational therapists who graduated overseas (overseas-trained therapists) to complete their registration applications in Hong Kong. It is learnt that there are quite a number of overseas-trained therapists awaiting assessment and approval for registration. Some of these therapists have been interviewed by the Hospital Authority (HA) while awaiting registration, but have been placed on a waiting list due to their unresolved registration status. Meanwhile, some overseas-trained therapists have worked as ward assistants, or taken up temporary positions as student physiotherapists or student occupational therapists. There are views that while the registration procedures must be rigorous, the excessively long waiting times for registration are unfair to applicants and prevent them from fully utilising their expertise to serve members of the public. As a result, some applicants have even left Hong Kong to serve in the countries where they graduated. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the following information regarding the time taken for overseas-‍trained physiotherapists and occupational therapists who meet the eligibility for registration to register in Hong Kong: the 10th ‍percentile time, the 90th percentile time and the median time;
     
    (2) whether the Physiotherapists Board and the Occupational Therapists Board have established performance indicators or performance pledges for registration processing times; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (3) of the number of overseas-trained therapists who applied for registration in Hong Kong and the rate of successful registration in each of the past three years, and whether it has compiled statistics on the number of those who left Hong Kong before completing their registration; and
     
    (4) whether the Government will urge the Physiotherapists Board and the Occupational Therapists Board to expedite the vetting and approval of registration applications, so as to encourage overseas-‍trained therapists to return to Hong Kong to serve therein; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         In consultation with the Secretariat of the Supplementary Medical Professions Council (the Council), my consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon David Lam is as follows:
     
         Healthcare professions in Hong Kong observe the principle of professional autonomy. Their statutory boards and councils were established by legislations. They are responsible for the registration of professionals, and maintaining and uplifting professional standard and conduct. Under the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (the Ordinance), the Council and the Boards of each supplementary medical profession (SMP) are responsible for handling the registration, disciplinary and other regulatory matters of supplementary medical professionals.
     
         Under section 12(1)(b) of the Ordinance, the Council may recognise the professional qualifications of non-locally trained supplementary medical professionals for meeting the requirement for local registration. When considering whether individual applicants are qualified for local registration, the Council will consider the applicants’ education, training, professional experience and skillset, and consult the relevant Board of the SMPs. The processing time required for individual applications depends on a host of factors, including the discussions and views of the Council and the relevant Board on whether to recognise the qualification and experience of the applicant, and whether the training institute or regulatory authority of the region where the applicant comes from can timely provide information or verify information submitted by the applicant. Upon receiving the complete application and required documents, the Council could generally complete processing the application for registration in around three months’ time. 
     
         Registration as a healthcare professional is a serious process to ensure the academic and clinical competency of the overall healthcare profession and protect patient safety. Given the unique circumstances of each application, their processing time will vary, making it difficult to prescribe a timeframe to complete the processing of applications. The Secretariat will maintain communication with the applicant to inform them timely of the progress of the application and/or any supplementary information required. The general situation of applications of non-locally trained physiotherapists and occupational therapists in the past three years is set out at Annex. The overall average processing time of these cases is 3.5 months and the 90th percentile is 6.0 months, rather than “at least 8 months” as mentioned in the question.
     
         Department of Health (DH) will continue to streamline administrative procedures and enhance the use of information technology to more effectively support the boards and councils in discharging their duties, including handling registration-related matters. For example, DH will introduce e-forms for registration of supplementary medical professionals as an enhancement measure in the second half of this year, with a view to expanding to other healthcare professions.
    Issued at HKT 15:30

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ2: Exploring economic, trade and investment opportunities in Latin America

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Martin Liao and a reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:

         In November last year, the Hong Kong Government signed a Free Trade Agreement with the Latin American country Peru, and the Chancay Port in Peru, an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative jointly invested by the Chinese and Peruvian enterprises, has also been open for use. Regarding the exploration of economic, trade and investment opportunities between Hong Kong and Latin America, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) whether it will provide Hong Kong businessmen with the latest market information, technical support and consultation services etc, so as to assist them in expanding into the Latin American market; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) how it will assist Hong Kong’s professional services sectors in grasping the development opportunities of the emerging markets in Latin America; and
     
    (3) whether it will step up efforts to attract enterprises from Latin American countries to come to Hong Kong and make use of Hong Kong as the gateway to enter into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even the entire market of China, so as to expand their businesses; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         In response to the question raised by the Hon Martin Liao, I provide below the consolidated reply.
     
         The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been actively expanding the economic and trade network, and exploring development opportunities in different markets, with particular emphasis on strengthening economic and trade ties with and market development in emerging markets and those of potential in recent years. In 2024, the total merchandise trade between Latin America and Hong Kong amounted to about HK$124.3 billion, representing an increase of 17 per cent when compared with 2023. On services trade, the total trade between the two places amounted to about HK$7.8 billion in 2023, representing an increase of about 24 per cent when compared with 2022. With the good foundation of economic and trade connection the HKSAR Government has built with the Latin America, we will continue to foster closer economic and trade ties with the Latin American region, opening up more trade and investment opportunities for Hong Kong businesses.
     
         As part of our efforts in expanding the economic and trade network, the HKSAR Government strengthens economic co-operation with trading partners, assists Hong Kong enterprises in developing markets and securing better market access, and enhances protection of investors’ overseas investments through forging free trade agreements (FTAs) and investment agreements. Hong Kong signed an FTA and an investment agreement with Chile in 2012 and 2016 respectively, an investment agreement with Mexico in 2020, and an FTA with Peru in 2024. In addition, Hong Kong is exploring with Peru the signing of an investment agreement, and is also proactively seeking to forge FTAs and investment agreements with more trading partners in the Latin American region, with a view to further promoting economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and our major trading partners in the Latin American region.
     
         Hong Kong and Chile have updated their commitments on trade in services under the FTA in recent years. Chile has made commitments in over 50 new service sectors, encompassing priority service sectors in which Hong Kong has traditional strengths or has potential for priority development, such as professional and business services, technical testing and analysis services, convention services, distribution services etc. Relevant Hong Kong services as well as their providers, subject to specific exceptions or conditions, enjoy access to the Chilean market and treatment no less favourable than that for Chile’s local service providers. The updated commitments, which entered into force in 2023, create more opportunities for relevant service providers and investors.
     
         In addition, Hong Kong and Peru signed an FTA in November 2024. Under the FTA, Hong Kong service providers in over 150 services sectors, including professional services, can enjoy legal certainty of better market access and national treatment when operating in Peru. We have been actively conducting a series of publicity and promotional activities (including holding and participating in seminar, reception and exhibition; launching designated webpage; and issuing circulars and promotional leaflets) to introduce the content, benefits and implementation arrangements of the FTA, and encourage Hong Kong’s businesses to grasp the opportunities brought by this FTA, as well as through Peru and our FTA and investment agreement partners including Peru, Chile and Mexico to expand their businesses in the Latin American markets. In the meantime, we have also conveyed the benefits brought by the FTA to Latin American companies by outreaching events to promote collaboration in trade and investment. For instance, Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Trade and Industry Department (TID) cohosted a reception for the Ibero-American community on March 13, 2025, promoting further collaboration through, among other initiatives, trade and investment agreements.
     
         Besides, the TID has been closely monitoring the trade development in the Latin American region, issuing circulars regarding the latest policies and measures concerned of the economies there, as well as publishing factsheets on Hong Kong’s commercial relationship with its major trading partners in that region for Hong Kong enterprises. The TID has also established hotline, email account and webpages to assist Hong Kong enterprises in obtaining and inquiring about the relevant information of trading partners in Latin America, including FTAs and investment agreements signed by Hong Kong, helping businesses understand and develop markets in the Latin American region.
     
         Meanwhile, the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) provides funding support for enterprises to develop business in economies with which Hong Kong has signed FTAs and/or investment agreements. The geographical coverage of the BUD Fund covers 40 economies including Chile, Mexico and Peru to further support enterprises in exploring more diversified markets.
     
         To assist Hong Kong enterprises in tapping the markets of Latin America, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has established consultant offices in Brazil’s Sao Paulo, Chile’s Santiago and Mexico’s Mexico City, to support the HKTDC’s local trade promotion activities and business matching services. The HKTDC will continue to leverage its consultant offices in Latin America to provide Hong Kong enterprises with information on the latest developments of Latin America and invite enterprises in Latin America to participate in Hong Kong’s large-scale exhibitions and conferences, in order to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a two-way global investment and business hub.
     
         As for InvestHK, through its teams based in Hong Kong, the Dedicated Teams for Attracting Businesses and Talents based in the Mainland Offices and the overseas Economic and Trade Offices of the HKSAR Government, as well as consultant offices in other locations (including those located in Latin America, namely, Mexico City, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Lima, Peru), it has all along been reaching out to a wide spectrum of companies in different sectors and industries around the world to attract and assist them to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong, and offering one-stop customised support services from the planning to implementation stages.
     
         InvestHK will continue to proactively provide overseas enterprises, including those from Latin America, with the latest information on Hong Kong’s business environment and promote Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world and other core strengths under “one country, two systems”, as well as the immense opportunities brought by key national strategies including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt and Road Initiative, with a view to attracting these enterprises to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong and leverage Hong Kong as a springboard to enter the Mainland market. For example, InvestHK plans to visit Medellín, Colombia; Lima, Peru; and Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2025, and co-organise investment promotion activities with local chambers of commerce to strengthen investment promotion work in Latin America.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ3: Occupational safety of Government’s outsourced workers

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Wai-keung and a reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

    Question: 
    (i) Tenderers who have been convicted of a relevant offence under the OSHO and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, etc will be debarred from bidding government service contracts for a maximum period of up to five years. In evaluating tenders for a service contract involving the employment of non-skilled workers, the department concerned will check whether any of the tenderers are subject to debarment; and
     
    (ii) Tenderers for service contracts that involve non-skilled workers performing duties outdoors, in an indoor environment without air-conditioning and/or in the vicinity of high temperature installations are required to submit a Heat Stroke Prevention Work Plan (Work Plan) certified by a Safety Officer who has a valid registration with the Labour Department (LD). Any tender submitted without a Work Plan will not be considered further in the tender assessment. Contractors who fail to comply with the measures committed in the Work Plan may also be issued with demerit points under the Demerit Point System.
     
         In addition to the above contractual and tendering requirements, the LD has been committed to ensuring, through inspection and enforcement, publicity and promotion, as well as education and training, that employers (including GSCs) comply with the relevant statutory requirements, with a view to minimising safety and health risks at workplaces and safeguarding the OSH of employees.
     
    (2) As regards the Member’s enquiry about the cases of OSH-related injuries and deaths in the past three years, we have collected relevant information on outsourced non-skilled workers from the four major procuring departments. Such information is set out at Annex.
     
    (3) The LD has all along adopted a multi-pronged strategy in promoting employers (including GSCs) to enhance the safety management standard and protect the OSH of their employees. Relevant measures include:
     
    (i) adopting a risk-based approach in conducting OSH inspections at different workplaces. If OSH issues are identified during inspections, the LD will exercise its professional judgement in assessing the seriousness and consequences of the issues and, based on the evidence available, take enforcement actions. Such actions may include issuing written warnings, improvement notices and suspension notices, or even initiating prosecutions. The said inspections also cover the workplaces of GSCs. In respect of GSCs employing non-skilled workers, the LD conducted 185, 199 and 224 OSH inspections respectively from 2022 to 2024, and took 41, 52 and 27 enforcement actions.
     
    (ii) issuing OSH guidelines to help contractors and other employers enhance their safety management standard. Such guidelines include “Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work”, “Cleansing Workers – Safe Use of Chemicals”, “Lightening the Load” and “Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather”; and
     
    (iii) co-organising activities (e.g. OSH talks, seminars and training programmes) with organisations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC), trade associations and workers’ unions to enhance the OSH awareness of both employers and employees. The LD and the OSHC have also set up hotlines to answer OSH-related enquiries.
     
         In addition to the inspections conducted by the LD, procuring departments are also, in general, required to formulate suitable arrangements for inspection of contractors’ workplaces (including the number of inspections) having regard to factors such as nature of the outsourced services and their manpower, and to develop assessment indicators as necessary.
     
         The Government will remain committed to safeguarding the OSH of outsourced workers employed by service contractors through the implementation of various measures.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PARLIAMENT QUESTION: BHARAT TEX 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 1:02PM by PIB Delhi

    Ministry has supported Export Promotion Councils/Associations in organizing a Global Mega Textile Event i.e. Bharat TEX  2025 to showcase the strength of the Indian textiles value chain, highlighting the latest progress/ innovations in textile & fashion Industry and positioning India as the most preferred destination for sourcing and investment in textile sector.

    The event spanned 2.2 million square feet and featured over 5,000 exhibitors, providing a comprehensive showcase of India’s textile ecosystem. More than 1,20,000 trade visitors, from more than 100 countries including global CEOs, policymakers, and industry leaders, attended the event.

    Bharat TEX 2025 served as a premier platform for industry leaders, manufacturers, exporters, and innovators, bringing together key stakeholders from across the textile sector. The event facilitates collaboration among manufacturers, exporters, and importers, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their expertise, cutting-edge innovations, and latest collections to a global audience. It brought together the entire textile value chain from raw materials to finished products including accessories under one single roof.

    The government’s focus on increasing textile manufacturing, modernizing infrastructure, fostering innovation, and upgrading technology has strengthened India’s position as a global textile hub. Bharat Tex 2025 provided a platform to showcase these advancements while promoting sustainable and high-value textile production.

    Bharat TEX 2025 also featured a Global scale conference, Roundtables, Panel Discussions, and master classes. It included exhibitions that featured Special Innovation and Start up Pavilions. It also included hackathons based Startup Pitch Fest and innovation fests, Tech tanks and design challenges providing funding opportunities for startups through leading investors.

    Ministry of Textiles through Office of Development Commissioner (Handlooms) promotes Handloom products of the country including Rajasthan by implementing following scheme:

    1. National Handloom Development Programme;
    2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;
    • Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided to eligible handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, procurement of upgraded looms & accessories, solar lighting units, construction of workshed, skilling, product & design development, technical and common infrastructure, marketing of handloom products in domestic & international markets, concessional loans under weavers’ MUDRA scheme and social security etc.
    • Assistance in establishing international marketing linkages to suitable Apex/Primary handloom cooperative societies, corporations, producers’ companies, handloom awardees, exporters, other talented weavers etc. who are producing exclusive exportable handloom products.
    • Market penetration through organisation/participation in international fairs/exhibitions, big ticket events, Buyer Sellers Meet, Reverse Buyer Sellers Meet etc., for export promotion of handloom products. Publicity and brand development through India Handloom Brand (IHB), Handloom Mark (HLM) and other measures.
    • Raw Material Supply Scheme (RMSS) is being implemented throughout the country to make available yarn to handloom weavers. Under the scheme, fright charges are reimbursed for all types of yarn; and component of 15% price subsidy is there for cotton hank yarn, domestic silk, wool and linen yarn and blended yarn of natural fibres.

    Similarly for handicrafts sector, the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) implements two schemes namely National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP) and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) for overall development and promotion of handicrafts sector across the country. Under these schemes, need based financial assistance is provided for end-to-end support to the artisans through marketing events, skill development, cluster development, formation of Producer Companies, direct benefit to artisans, infrastructural and technology support, research and development support, digitization, branding and marketing of handicraft products in domestic & international markets etc. which benefit the traditional crafts and artisans throughout the country including Rajasthan.

    This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

    DHANYA SANAL K

    (Lok Sabha US Q4891)

    (Release ID: 2117659) Visitor Counter : 32

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PARLIAMENT QUESTION: ROADMAP FOR TEXTILE SECTOR

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 1:00PM by PIB Delhi

    Government in order to achieve Textile 2030 vision has been focusing on high-tech & high-growth product segments, leveraging inherent strengths, developing large scale plug and play infrastructure, keeping sustainability at the core, while ensuring large-scale livelihood opportunities, providing impetus to traditional sectors including handloom and handicrafts and becoming Atma-nirbhar in raw material value chain by implementing various schemes/initiatives across the country. The major schemes/initiatives include PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme which seeks to create a modern, integrated , world class textile infrastructure; Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme focusing on Man Made Fibre (MMF) Fabric, MMF Apparel and Technical Textiles to boost large scale manufacturing and enhancing competitiveness; National Technical Textiles Mission focusing on Research Innovation & Development, Promotion and Market Development; SAMARTH – Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector with the objective providing demand driven, placement oriented, skilling program; Silk Samagra-2 for comprehensive development of sericulture value chain; National Handloom Development Program for end to end support for handloom sector. Ministry of Textiles is also implementing National Handicrafts Development Programme and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme for promotion of handicraft artisans. Under these schemes, support is provided for marketing, skill development, cluster development, direct benefit to artisans, infrastructure and technology support etc.

    The textile industry is one of the largest sources of employment generation in the country, employing over 45 million people directly. A total of 35,874 USD million exports of Textiles & Apparel including Handicrafts were reported during 2023-24.

    Further, for global branding of Indian Textile, Government has registered Kasturi Cotton India’s brand as a trademark to give a unique identity to Premium Quality Indian Cotton.

    A successful Global Mega Textile Event BHARAT TEX 2025 was organized in February, 2025 by Textile Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and supported by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India to showcase, India’s prowess as a premier textile manufacturing hub, encompassing the entire value chain from raw materials to finished products. The event highlighted diversity and richness of Indian textiles, while emphasizing the industry’s manufacturing strength, global competitiveness as well as its commitment to sustainability and circularity.

    For upliftment of handloom weavers in Assam, the following support has been provided during last ten years and current year:

    • 88 Small Handloom Clusters and 2 Mega Handloom Clusters have been taken up for financial assistance of Rs.89.45 crore benefitting to 68,652 handloom workers. Out of these, one Small handloom cluster at Harangajao in DimaHasao district has been taken up for financial assistance of Rs.94.23 lakh benefiting 626 handloom workers.
    • To integrate Craft promotion with tourism, Craft Handloom Village has been set up at Mohpara (Assam).
    • More than 1.09 lakh beneficiaries enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.
    • Total 15.10 lakh kg of yarn supplied under Transport Subsidy & Price Subsidy benefitting more than 39,000 handloom organisations/weavers.    

    For the upliftment of artisans need based assistance is provided under National Handicrafts Development Programme and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme for end-to-end support through marketing events, skill development, cluster development, formation of Producer Companies, direct benefit to artisans, infrastructural and technology support, research and development support etc. which benefit the traditional crafts and artisans throughout the country including of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts in Assam.

    This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

    DHANYA SANAL K

    (Lok Sabha US Q5011)

    (Release ID: 2117657) Visitor Counter : 39

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ9: Combating animal cruelty

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Lau Kwok-fan and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:
     
         The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) has not been updated since its amendment in 2018. The Government proposed in 2019 to amend the Ordinance to step up efforts to combat animal cruelty, but the specific bill has not yet been introduced into this Council to date for scrutiny. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) as the Government indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on February 26 this year that it would complete the law drafting work as soon as possible after collating the views of the stakeholders concerned and introduce the proposed legislative amendments into this Council, of the specific timetable of the relevant work and the direction of the legislative amendments; whether it has encountered difficulties in the course of preparing for the legislative amendments; if so, of the details;
     
    (2) as it is learnt that the community generally considers that the penalties for offences of cruelty to animals under the existing legislation (with the maximum penalty being a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for three years) fail to reflect the seriousness of some cases (such as cruelty resulting in death and organised cruelty) and to pose sufficient deterrent effect, whether the Government will consider substantially raising the maximum penalty, for example, by increasing the maximum fine to $2,000,000, and raising the maximum term of imprisonment to seven years, so as to satisfy the principle of proportionality;
     
    (3) as the Government has indicated that it will study the introduction of the concept of “Duty of Care” in Cap. 169 mandating persons responsible for animals to take proper care of the welfare of animals, but it is learnt that the community has rather strong and diversified views in this regard, whether the authorities will amend Cap. 169 in phases by raising the maximum penalty in the first place, followed by amendments and enhancements to the Ordinance as appropriate and necessary at the next phase;
     
    (4) as there are views that the existing evidential threshold in Cap. 169 is too high, for example, requiring law enforcement agencies to prove that the perpetrator has the intent of “deliberately causing cruelty to animals” in order to secure a conviction, resulting in a large number of cases not proceeding to judicial proceedings due to insufficient evidence, whether the authorities will draw up dedicated prosecution guidelines so as to lower the evidential threshold and boost the conviction rate; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
     
    (5) apart from amending the existing legislation, of the details of the Government’s other specific work in preventing cruelty to animals; whether the authorities will enhance public awareness of animal protection through publicity and educational efforts; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         The Government adopts a multi-pronged approach to curb acts of cruelty to animals. This includes exploring raising penalties for offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) (the Ordinance) to enhance deterrent effect, taking stringent enforcement actions against illegal acts, and continuing to enhance relevant public awareness through education and promotion activities.
     
         Having consulted the Security Bureau and the Department of Justice, the reply to the question from the Hon Lau Kwok-fan is as follows:
     
    (1) and (3) The Government has been studying amendments to the Ordinance. The directions being explored in the legislative amendment include imposing a positive “Duty of Care” on persons responsible for animals, requiring them to take proper care of the welfare of animals (including diet, environment, health, and behaviour); raising penalties for animal cruelty offences; and enhancing enforcement power, etc. In preparing the bill, it is necessary to consult the relevant stakeholders again on some of the proposals. After collating the views, we will finalise the legislative amendment proposals, implementation arrangement, and law drafting work promptly. Once the work is completed, we will consult the Legislative Council on the proposal.
     
    (2) Currently, any person who does or omits doing any act and causes unnecessary suffering to an animal, may constitute an offence for animal cruelty. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for three years.
     
         The Government is studying raises to the penalties for animal cruelty offences to reflect more clearly the gravity of the offence, and to introduce an indictable offence to allow enforcement officers more time to instigate prosecution on complex or serious cruelty cases, in order to further enhance deterrent effect. In finalising the proposal on penalty, the Government will make reference to overseas experience, local penalties for relevant criminal offences, and views of stakeholders, etc.
     
    (4) The existing offences under the Ordinance cover different forms of cruelty to animals, including causes any unnecessary suffering to an animal by wantonly or unreasonably doing or omitting to do any act; neglects to supply animal in confinement with sufficient food and sufficient fresh water; conveys an animal in such a manner as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering, etc. The Ordinance provides that an owner shall be deemed to have permitted cruelty if he shall have failed to exercise reasonable care and supervision in respect of the protection of the animal therefrom, proof of intention to cause cruelty to animals is not required.
     
         In making a decision of whether or not to prosecute in each case, the relevant departments make an objective and professional assessment of the available evidence and applicable law, and strictly act in accordance with the Prosecution Code issued by the Department of Justice. The current practice has worked well and we consider it not necessary to formulate a specific prosecution guideline.
     
         On the other hand, according to the information of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), over 90 per cent of the reports were found to be not related to animal cruelty after investigation, but nuisance or other situations, such as frequent noise from animals or odour from the premises where the animals were kept, and this misled the reporters into thinking that the animals suffered from acts of cruelty.
     
    (5) The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), the AFCD and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) jointly implement the Animal Watch Scheme to proactively prevent and detect suspected cases of animal cruelty through multi-agency collaboration. The HKPF would also invite the AFCD and the SPCA officers to provide professional advice at the scene of an animal cruelty case and assist thereafter where necessary.
     
         On publicity and education, through various channels including the Animal Watchers Programme, the “Be a Responsible Pet Owner” thematic website and roving exhibitions, the HKPF and the AFCD are respectively promoting the message of preventing cruelty to animals at the community level and online platforms; encouraging the public to report cases timely and to provide information that aids investigations; as well as raising public awareness of animal welfare.
     
         The AFCD has also launched a series of “Duty of Care” publicity programmes, including the production of posts on social media platforms to share information on how to take proper care of animals, and the recent launch of the “Animal Welfare Project: The Adventures of Meow” promotional video, which aims to educate the public on the content and importance of “Duty of Care” in an interesting manner.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: General out-patient clinic service arrangements on Ching Ming Festival holiday

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Region 
    Tai Po Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic G/F, 37 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po 3157 0906 2664 2039
    Tseung Kwan O (Po Ning Road) General Out-patient Clinic G/F, 28 Po Ning Road, Tseung Kwan O 3157 0660 2191 1083
    Tuen Mun Clinic 11 Tsing Yin Street, San Hui, Tuen Mun 3543 0886 2452 9111
    Yuen Long Jockey Club Health Centre 269 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long 3543 5007 2443 8511

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ17: Efforts in promoting waste reduction and recycling

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
         According to a paper submitted by the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department to the Panel on Environmental Affairs and the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of this Council in December last year on the latest progress and achievements of the efforts in promoting waste reduction and recycling, the authorities were conducting a study on how to enhance the municipal solid waste (MSW) charging scheme, and would continuously monitor and assess public views and participation in waste reduction and recycling. It is expected that they will report to members again in the middle of this year on the relevant work progress and the Government’s views on implementing MSW charging. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the specific measures currently put in place by the Government to enhance MSW charging scheme; of the expected time for implementing MSW charging;
     
    (2) how the Government assesses the level of public participation in the process of promoting waste reduction and recycling, and of the factors affecting such participation;
     
    (3) how the Government plans to increase the number of Food Waste Recycling Spots, and of the specific timetable; and
     
    (4) as regards the implementation of the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons, of the challenges the Government expects to face; how it ensures that the implementation of the scheme can balance the interests of various parties?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Although the Government announced the suspension of the implementation of municipal solid waste (MSW) charging scheme, our determination to reduce MSW has never wavered. The reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung is as follows:
     
    (1) and (2) The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is continuously enhancing the community recycling network and strengthening public education to promote a green waste reduction and recycling culture in our society. We will assess public participation in waste reduction and recycling based on data such as the usage of public collection facilities, the amount of recyclables collected, and the total quantity of MSW disposed of at landfills. In this regard, the latest figures show that the number of visits to GREEN@COMMUNITY (G@C) in 2024 surged to approximately 12.7 million, representing an increase of about 80 per cent compared to that of 2023, while the quantity of recyclables collected (by weight) rose by nearly 60 per cent year-on-year. We have also successfully reversed the rising trend of waste disposal. Since 2021, the daily average quantity of MSW disposed of at landfills has decreased for three consecutive years from 11 358 tonnes per day in 2021 to 10 510 tonnes per day in 2024, representing a 3.4 per cent decrease from 2023 and a 7.5 per cent decrease from 2021. 
     
         Convenient community recycling facilities and continuous public education are crucial in promoting and encouraging public participation in waste reduction and recycling. As revealed by the abovementioned figures, with the gradual enhancement of the community recycling network, public participation in waste reduction and recycling has risen continuously. To this end, the EPD has substantially increased the number of public collection points under G@C to over 800 in the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, we are promoting the Waste Reduction and Recycling Charter (the Charter) to encourage private residential premises to set up convenient waste separation and recycling facilities, and to strengthen education and encourage residents to practise waste reduction at source and clean recycling. As of the end of February 2025, a total of 826 private residential premises have signed the Charter, accounting for approximately 40 per cent of the total number of households in private residential buildings with property management companies/owners’ corporations/residents’ organisations in Hong Kong and covering around 700 000 households.
     
         On the other hand, through the outreaching services of the Green Outreach, the EPD has strengthened the publicity and education as well as the community support for waste reduction and recycling. In 2025-26, the Green Outreach will focus on territory-wide or district-based waste reduction and recycling publicity programmes, including “We-recycle@School” and Programme on Source Separation of Waste. The Green Outreach will also make more use of mass media platforms such as social media and the Internet to carry out publicity and promotional activities, and strengthen collaborations with G@C operators, local groups, non-governmental organisations, etc. to promote a green waste reduction and recycling culture to the public. Besides, the EPD launched the GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme (GREEN$ ePIS) in 2020. Through providing incentives, it has successfully motivated many members of the public to participate in waste separation and recycling. The EPD has further expanded the electronic redemption options since February 2024, allowing members of the public to convert their GREEN$ points into a more diverse range of electronic rewards, including free MTR tickets, local eco-tours and supermarket items, thereby integrating waste reduction and recycling habits into their daily lives. As of the end of February 2025, the number of user accounts of GREEN$ ePIS has reached over one million.
     
         The total quantity of MSW disposed of at landfills has begun to decline steadily, and the recovery rate has risen. These results demonstrate that the public is actively participating in waste reduction and recycling, and that the community starts to build up a green waste reduction and recycling culture. Taking on the current positive momentum, we will continue to strengthen waste reduction and recycling initiatives, along with publicity and education, so as to encourage more public participation. At the same time, the Government is reviewing the MSW charging scheme. During the process, we will engage with relevant stakeholders, such as representatives from the property management, food and beverage, and cleaning sectors, to continuously and comprehensively evaluate public sentiments and the level of public participation in waste reduction and recycling. The Government will report on the work progress in promoting waste reduction and recycling and present the way forward of MSW charging scheme to the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Environmental Affairs in mid-2025 as planned.
     
    (3) As at the end of 2024, the EPD installed around 1 200 food waste smart recycling bins (FWSRBs) in residential buildings across the territory, and will increase the number of FWSRBs or food waste collection facilities in residential premises to around 1 600 in 2025. The EPD will also progressively install additional FWSRBs in public rental housing estates with higher usage rates, with a view to achieving the “one FWSRB per block” target. For premises without sufficient space to install food waste recycling bins (e.g. single-block residential buildings and “three-nil” buildings), the EPD has set up approximately 200 fixed or mobile Public Food Waste Recycling Points, of which 76 are Food Waste Recycling Spots operating as night-time kerbside booths at fixed times and locations for the convenience of small business operators and nearby residents. To expand the service coverage, the EPD is preparing to increase the number of Food Waste Recycling Spots gradually to around 100 in 2025, with priority given to more densely populated districts where fixed food waste collection points have yet to be set up. By taking forward various initiatives, the overall quantity of food waste recovered is expected to increase progressively from an average of about 280 tonnes per day in 2024 to about 350 tonnes per day in 2025, representing an increase of nearly 30 per cent.
     
    (4) The Government plans to introduce an amendment bill to the LegCo in April this year to establish a common legislative framework for the producer responsibility schemes (PRSs) applicable to different products. After the passage of the bill, we will extend PRSs to more products (including plastic beverage containers, beverage cartons, electric vehicle batteries, vehicle tyres and lead-acid batteries) as and when appropriate by means of subsidiary legislation. The Government continues the ongoing discussion with the trades about the implementation details and their readiness. Only if the trades are ready shall we consult the LegCo on various PRSs (including the PRS on Plastic Beverage Containers and Beverage Cartons) and gradually implement them in light of the prevailing circumstances.
     
         We will maintain close communication with the trades and consider their views when fine-tuning the operational details of the schemes as appropriate, with a view to alleviating the compliance costs of the trades, setting appropriate recycling targets, assisting the trades in establishing recycling networks, and considering the provision of exemptions as appropriate, etc. In addition, we will provide sufficient preparatory and adaptation periods as well as strengthen publicity and education for members of the public, so as to ensure the smooth implementation of various PRSs in the future.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Flower Show photo competition entries to close on April 15

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Flower Show photo competition entries to close on April 15 
         The photo competition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). The competition aims to promote community greening with impressive photographs of flowers and plants on display, interesting or touching scenes captured at the showground, and portraits of TVB artistes and Miss Hong Kong titleholders with beautiful garden displays as a background.
     
         The photo competition is divided into three categories: Category A – Portrait of TVB Artistes and Miss Hong Kong; Category B – Flowers; and Category C – Snapshots.
     
         Entries for Category A, comprising the Open and Student Sections, must be photos of TVB artistes and Miss Hong Kong titleholders taken by entrants to the activity, Portrait Photo Shooting Session, on March 13 at the showground in Victoria Park. Entries for Category B must be photos of flowers including garden displays or floral art exhibits taken at the showground during the show period. Entries for Category C must be photos of interesting features or moments at the flower show taken during the show period.
     
         Results of the competition will be announced in June on the flower show webpage. Winners will be notified in writing for the collection of prizes. All winning entries will be uploaded onto the flower show webpage for public viewing at the same time.
     
         For enquiries, please call 2601 8260 or refer to the flower show webpage www.hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2025/photo_rs.html 
         The HKFS is organised by the LCSD. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has supported the flower show for the 13th consecutive year and has been its major sponsor since 2014.
    Issued at HKT 11:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: TD urges public to plan their cross-boundary trips in advance during long weekend of Ching Ming Festival holiday

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    TD urges public to plan their cross-boundary trips in advance during long weekend of Ching Ming Festival holiday 
    For public transport services, the TD has liaised with local and cross-boundary public transport services operators to strengthen their services during the long weekend. The waiting time for public transport services, including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus), may be longer. Passengers are encouraged to make their journeys during non-peak hours, observe order and heed advice from on-site Police and staff of the public transport service operators concerned. Passengers of cross-boundary coaches are also advised to reserve their coach tickets in advance.
     
    Motorists are advised that, subject to actual traffic conditions, special traffic arrangements may be implemented at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point and the Shenzhen Bay Port from April 4 to 6 to allow smooth access of public transport vehicles to the above control points. Cross-boundary private cars may need to queue up for crossing the BCPs. Motorists should pay extra attention to variable message signs and traffic signs along the road. They are also advised to be patient in case of traffic congestion and follow the instructions of on-site Police.

    For the HZMB, in order to plan their journey ahead, the public can make use of the TD’s HKeMobility mobile application to access snapshots of traffic conditions at inbound and outbound vehicle plazas of the Hong Kong Port. They can also check real-time situations of the vehicle clearance plaza of the Zhuhai port through the WeChat official accounts “hzmbzhport” or “zhuhaifabu” (traffic-info.gzazhka.com:5015/#/ 
    The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will continue to operate 24 hours to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of different districts including various BCPs and major stations. The TD will disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels. Members of the public are advised to check the latest traffic news through radio, television broadcasts, and HKeMobility.
    Issued at HKT 12:00

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Special traffic arrangements for race meeting in Happy Valley

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Special traffic arrangements for race meeting in Happy Valley- Traffic along eastbound Queen’s Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
    – Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
    – Traffic along Queen’s Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road, except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel;
    – Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen’s Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen’s Road East; and
    – Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.- Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
    – Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of the HKJC;
    – Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
    – Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen’s Road East.- Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
    – Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
    – Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
    – Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
    – Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.- Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
    – Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
    – Canal Road East; and
    – The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.Issued at HKT 9:41

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ8: Government tunnels and trunk roads

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by the Hon Chan Siu-hung and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

    Question:
    (1) The average traffic flow, peak-hour traffic flow and its ratio to the daily traffic flow for government-tolled tunnels in 2024 are set out at Annex 1.   
    The projected revenue and expenditure of government tunnels in 2025-26 are at Annex 4. ???
    The TD is conducting a review of tunnel tolls. We plan to complete the review within this year and consult the Panel on Transport of the Legislative Council.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ13: Development of Hong Kong athletes in Mainland

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​Following is a question by the Hon Stanley Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:
     
    It has been reported that Hong Kong athletes have all along been unable to be certified for acquiring the technical grade titles awarded to Mainland athletes because of their status as Hong Kong citizens, even though they won championships in sports competitions held in the Mainland. In view of this, the Administrative Measures for Technical Grades of Athletes (the Administrative Measures) was promulgated by our country in March last year to point out clearly that athletes from Hong Kong, the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) and Taiwan may be awarded technical grade titles when they participate in national competitions and provincial competitions. The Administrative Measures have been implemented since January 1 this year to ensure that Hong Kong athletes and Mainland athletes are entitled to the same treatment. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) whether it has compiled statistics on the current number of Hong Kong athletes pursuing development in the Mainland, with a tabulated breakdown by province;
     
    (2) whether it knows the specific process through which Hong Kong athletes pursuing development in the Mainland are certified for acquiring the technical grade titles awarded to Mainland athletes; whether the process is handled by the General Administration of Sport of China in a centralised manner, or there is a designated organisation in Hong Kong which is responsible for handling the relevant certification for them; if there is such a designated organisation, of the organisation;
     
    (3) as the Administrative Measures point out that prior consent should be obtained from the relevant National Sports Associations (NSAs) in Hong Kong and Macao SAR for awarding technical grade titles to their registered athletes, whether it has compiled statistics on the current number of athletes registered with NSAs in Hong Kong who are awarded the Mainland athletes’ technical grade titles upon obtaining consents from their relevant NSAs; whether there are cases in which NSAs did not give consents for their athletes to acquire the Mainland athletes’ technical grade titles; if so, of the details;
     
    (4) whether it knows the mechanism for Hong Kong athletes pursuing development in the Mainland without registration with the relevant NSAs in Hong Kong who are eligible to be certified under the standards for technical grades of athletes to obtain certification for acquiring the technical grade titles awarded to Mainland athletes; and
     
    (5) to facilitate the professional development of Hong Kong athletes in the Mainland, whether the Government will set a timetable for regular review of the existing process through which Hong Kong athletes are certified for acquiring the Mainland athletes’ technical grade titles, and streamline the relevant procedures in a timely manner?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
    My consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Stanley Ng is as follows:
     
    The General Administration of Sport of China (GASC) promulgated the “the Administrative Measures for Technical Grades of Athletes” (the Administrative Measures) in 2014 to award athletes with different technical grade titles after attaining specific results in competitions. In order of priority, the technical grade titles are namely International Elite Athlete, Elite Athlete, Grade One Athlete, Grade Two Athlete and Grade Three Athlete.
     
    To promote the integration of Hong Kong into national development, the GASC promulgated the “Notice by the General Office of GASC on the Work of Awarding the Technical Grade Titles to Athletes from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Macao SAR and Taiwan” in 2021, which explicitly indicated that it accepts Hong Kong athletes’ applications for award of the technical grade titles. For Hong Kong athletes who wish to be awarded the technical grade titles, they are required to submit written applications. In addition to submitting proof of results, the applications should be endorsed by the relevant National Sports Associations (NSAs) to which they belong.  
     
    Subsequently, having communicated with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) and the sports sector to understand the situation, the GASC has revised the the Administrative Measures to simplify the application procedures. The GASC promulgated the amended Administrative Measures on March 14, 2024.
     
    Article 15 of the amended Administrative Measures specifies that Hong Kong athletes can be awarded the technical grade titles directly according to their results in national and provincial competitions, without having to submit written applications. The awarding body (e.g. the relevant sports centres or associations) may publicise the proposed technical grade titles directly based on the competition results for a period of five working days. The athletes will be awarded the respective technical grade titles if there is no objection within the period.
     
    The amended Administrative Measures also indicate that for Hong Kong athletes who are registered with specific NSAs, they should obtain endorsement from the relevant NSAs before participating in competitions (i.e. providing a letter of consent from the relevant NSAs when participating in the competitions). In that way, the athletes can be awarded the technical grade titles based on their competition results after the public announcement period. Hong Kong athletes who are not registered with specific NSAs are not required to seek endorsement from relevant NSAs before they are awarded the technical grade titles. The amended Administrative Measures have come into effect from January 1, 2025.
     
    The CSTB does not have the relevant information about the number of Hong Kong athletes currently developing in the Mainland, the number of NSA-registered Hong Kong athletes who have been awarded the technical grade titles with endorsement of the relevant NSAs, and the cases not being endorsed by the relevant NSAs.
     
    The Hong Kong SAR Government encourages and supports Hong Kong athletes and NSAs to enhance exchange and co-operation with athletes and associations of various sports from different provinces and cities in the Mainland. The amended Administrative Measures, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, facilitate the award of the technical grade titles to Hong Kong athletes. The amended Administrative Measures also promote development opportunities of Hong Kong athletes in the Mainland, and enhance the integrated development of Hong Kong and the Mainland. The CSTB will continue to maintain communication with the GASC on the relevant arrangements.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Finalists for WAVES Comics Creator Championship & WAVES Awards of Excellence Announced

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 01 APR 2025 7:37PM by PIB Mumbai

    Mumbai/Bhopal, 1 April 2025

     

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Government of India, in collaboration with Indian Comics Association (ICA) and ASIFA India, has announced the finalists for two prestigious competitions under the WAVES Create in India Challenge—the WAVES Comics Creator Championship and the WAVES Awards of Excellence.

    The competitions have attracted participation from across India and internationally, highlighting the country’s potential as a global hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. The winners will be announced at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025), scheduled to be held in Mumbai from May 1-4, 2025.

    Additional Director General, PIB, Bhopal, Shri Prashant Pathrabe said that, WAVES is an important event that provides a global platform for professional entrepreneurs, investors, producers and innovators to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute in the entertainment sector.

       

    Photo caption : Shri Prashant Pathrabe, Additional Director General, PIB Bhopal addressing the ceremony of announcement of finalists of Waves Comics Creator Championship and Waves Awards of Excellence

     

    WAVES Comics Creator Championship:

    Indian Comics Association (ICA) President Ajitesh Sharma stated that ICA has selected 10 teams for the final round and that the candidates for the final round were selected based on their creative story, artistic skills and overall impact.

    Photo caption: Shri Ajitesh Sharma, President, Indian Comics Association addressing the Waves Comics Creator Championship and Waves Awards of Excellence finalists announcement ceremony.

    The finalists for the Comics Creator Championship are as follows:

    Finalists – Professional Category:

    1. Mohit Sharma (Meerut) – Ayush Kumar (Delhi)

    2. Aparna Chaurasia (Chhatarpur)

    3. Bijoy Raveendran (Delhi) – Tadam Gyadu (Delhi)

    4. Puneet Shukla (Gorakhpur) – Piyush Kumar (Ranchi)

    5. Tejas Janardhan Kamble (Mumbai)

    Finalists – Amateur Category:

    1. Suvojit Pal (Howrah) – Vivek Pradhan (Raipur)

    2. Vindhyarsh Mishra (Bareilly)

    3. Rohit Shukla (Chennai) – Shivangi Shaily (Indore)

    4. Ritesh Patra (Kolkata)

    5. Randeep Singh (Kendrapara)

    Jury Panel for Comics Creator Championship

    The five-member jury to evaluate the competition entries included: Dilip Kadam – Renowned comic artist and illustrator; Nikhil Pran – Acclaimed comic creator and son of Pran Kumar Sharma; Jajil Homaveer – Creator of the web manga The Beast Legion; Sanjay Gupta – Founder of Raj Comics; Preeti Vyas – President & CEO of Amar Chitra Katha. The jury panel will now select the winners by evaluating the Semi-Finalists’ entries. The selected 10 Finalists will then compete at the Mumbai Waves Event from 1-4 May 2025.The final competition will take place at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai, where the best talents in Indian comics will be recognized on an international stage.

    ASIFA announces Waves’ Awards of Excellence

    The WAVES Awards of Excellence, organized by ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation) India under the Create in India Challenge, has received 1,331 entries from 28 Indian states and 13 countries.

    Shri Sanjay Khimesara, President, ASIFA India addressing the Waves Comics Creator Championship and Waves Awards of Excellence finalists announcement ceremony.

    Jury for WAVES Awards of Excellence

    The evaluation process for the WAVES Awards of Excellence was led by an esteemed five-member international jury, ensuring global standards in selection: Dr. Anastasia Dimitra (Greece) – VP, ASIFA International & Animation Educator; Briana Yarhouse (USA) – Director, Awards of Excellence & Professor; Pramita Mukherjee (USA) – Sr. Creature FX Developer, DreamWorks; Dhimant Vyas (India) – Professor of Practice, IDC School of Design; B.N. Vichar (India) – Art Director, Technicolor Games

    The winning entries will receive mentorship, global exposure, and networking opportunities with industry leaders.

     

    Final Nominations-Professionals

    1

    Patrick

    Smith

    ASIFA24102

    Onward Ye Costumed Souls

    USA

    2

    Fabian

    Driehorst

    ASIFA24142

    Little Fan

    Germany

    3

    Yingyan Chen

    Linxiao Zhou, Zehao Chen

    ASIFA24205

    Online interview

    China

    4

    Long Qin

    CHINA

    ASIFA24207

    IN BEWTEEN

    China

    5

    Suresh

    Eriyat

    ASIFA24298

    The Seed

    Mumbai, India

    6

    Adithi

    Krishnadas

    ASIFA24299

    The Legend of Arana

    Mumbai, India

    7

    Suresh

    Eriyat

    ASIFA24302

    Pune Design Festival Versus Ident Film

    Mumbai, India

    8

    Swati

    Agarwal

    ASIFA24654

    Chalisa’

    Mumbai, India

    9

    Swathy

    Pushpalochanan

    ASIFA24678

    Anpu

    Kollam, Kerala

    10

    Bimal

    Poddar

    ASIFA24693

    IPL opening graphics

    Mumbai, India

    11

    Bimal

    Poddar

    ASIFA24694

    Home season opening graphics/Legend

    Mumbai, India

    12

    Bimal

    Poddar

    ASIFA24696

    RADHA

    Mumbai, India

    13

    Bimal

    Poddar

    ASIFA24697

    13th Portal

    Mumbai, India

    14

    Bimal

    Poddar

    ASIFA24698

    More kaka

    Mumbai, India

    15

    Prateek

    Sethi

    ASIFA24726

    Informa Markets In India – Milan

    Mumbai, India

    16

    Ujwal

    Nair

    ASIFA24740

    Lucky Dog

    Chennai, India

    17

    Gary

    Schwartz

    ASIFA2492

    FLINTMATION ll

    USA

    18

    David

    Ehrlich

    ASIFA2494

    A New World

    USA

    19

    Suresh

    Eriyat

    ASIFA251377

    Desi Oon

    Mumbai, India

    20

    Amit

    Sonawane

    ASIFA251402

    What’s Your Story

    Mumbai, India

    Top 26 Nominated works includes Showreels/Shorts from students from across India including states/UT’s of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Gujarat, New Delhi.

    Final Nominations- Students

    S.No

    First Name

    Last Name

    Tracking Number

    Project Title

    Location

    1

    Varun

    Choudhry

    ASIFA24942

    Varun Choudhry | Modeling Reel 2024

    Mumbai

    2

    Hussain

    Bohra

    ASIFA24744

    IRAN 600 BC

    Udaipur

    3

    Shavikant

    Chauhan

    ASIFA24474

    texturing showreel

    Surat

    4

    Karan

    Meghlan

    ASIFA24930

    Karan_Malghan_Modeling_Texturing_Reel_Wave

    Pune

    5

    Rajat

    Aingh

    ASIFA241036

    CG Lighting Showreel_Rajat Singh

    Chandigarh

    6

    Ajit Tanaji

    Kinare

    ASIFA24881

    CG Lighting

    Mumbai

    7

    Ankan

    Samanta

    ASIFA24850

    Rigging Showreel By Ankan Samanta

    Hooghly, WB

    8

    Sumedha

    Paul

    ASIFA24814

    Rigging Showreel

    Kolkata

    9

    Arjun

    kumar

    ASIFA24157

    Animation Showreel

    Chandigarh

    10

    Arpit

    Thakur

    ASIFA24948

    Animation Showreel By ARPIT THAKUR

    Chandigarh

    11

    Kumkum

    Gupta

    ASIFA24966

    Digital_Painting_Kumkum Gupta

    Mumbai

    12

    Ishwari

    Tarkar

    ASIFA24969

    Digital_Painting_Ishwari_Tarkar

    Mumbai

    13

    Tarun

    None

    ASIFA24800

    Digital Matte Painting

    Bengaluru

    14

    Arena

    Andheri

    ASIFA241073

    Matte Paint-Sameer Parab

    Mumbai

    15

    ElangoM

    Elango

    ASIFA241306

    Digital matte painting

    Bengaluru

    16

    Prajval

    Nanote

    ASIFA241005

    Motion graphic

    sausar
    Chhindwara,MP

    17

    Sk

    Nur Islam

    ASIFA241121

    Motion Graphics Showreel

    Malda, WB

    18

    Sourav

    Bishwakarma

    ASIFA241202

    Compositing Showreel

    Kanchrapara,WB

    19

    Varun

    Sapkal

    ASIFA24565

    Showreel Varun Sapkal VFX

    Mumbai

    20

    Vijay

    Bangar

    ASIFA24922

    Kothrud_Vijay_Bangar

    Kothrud, Pune

    21

    Shaikh

    Sahil

    ASIFA241176

    Avengers: Infinity War movie Shots

    Mankhurd, Mumbai

    22

    Aditi

    Dixit

    ASIFA251357

    Showreel

    Delhi

    23

    Rutvik

    Dhole

    ASIFA24736

    Arwick 2d Animated explainer Video Ad

    Not specified

    24

    Debopom

    Chakraborty

    ASIFA24661

    Rasmalai

    Gurgaon, Haryana

    25

    Kartik

    Mahajan

    ASIFA24731

    Phool Dei

    Dehradun, Utta

    26

    Harshita

    Nehlani

    ASIFA251352

    Adhoori Pehchaan [Incomplete Identity]

    GLS, A’bad

     

    About WAVES

    The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025.

    Whether you’re an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, the Summit offers the ultimate global platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the M&E landscape.

    WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound and Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR).

    Have questions? Find answers here  

    Stay updated with the latest announcements from PIB Team WAVES

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ16: Employees’ compensation insurance

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ16: Employees’ compensation insurance 
    Question:
     
         Regarding employees’ compensation insurance (commonly known as labour insurance), will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the number of cases recorded by the Labour Department (LD) in which employees died as a result of accidents arising out of and in the course their employment in each of the past seven years and this year to date, together with a breakdown by industry;
     
    (2) among the cases mentioned in (1), ︀of the number of cases in which employers were prosecuted by the authorities for failing to take out labour insurance policies for their employees as required under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282); among such prosecuted cases, ︀of the following information on each of the convicted cases: (i) the date of the accident, (ii) the industry and occupation to which the workers involved belonged, (iii) the date on which the judgment was handed down by the court and (iv) the penalties imposed;
     
    (3) in respect of the penalties imposed on the convicted cases mentioned in (2), whether the authorities have applied for reviews or appeals; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (4) given that under the Employees Compensation Assistance Ordinance (Cap. 365), any employer who contravenes the requirements of Cap. ‍282 on taking out labour insurance policies shall be liable to pay a surcharge to the Employees Compensation Assistance Fund Board, of the highest, lowest and average amounts of surcharge paid by the employers in the convicted cases mentioned in (2);
     
    (5) of the respective numbers of insurance applications from the employers of the 22 ‍high-‍risk industries specified under the Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme (ECIRS) which were received, approved and rejected by the Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme Bureau Limited in each of the past seven years and this year to date, ︀as well as the number of employees involved in the approved applications, ︀together with a breakdown by industry; the main reasons for rejecting such applications under the Scheme;
     
    (6) as it is learnt that the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Council and the LD have jointly launched the OSH Star Enterprise – Repair, Maintenance, Alteration and Addition Safety Accreditation Scheme (the Accreditation Scheme) to assist the insurance industry in considering offering discounts on labour insurance premium under ECIRS to enterprises satisfying the safety accreditations, of the number of enterprises which have (i) applied, (ii) have been approved and (iii) have been rejected to participate in the Accreditation Scheme in each of the past seven years and this year to date, and set out in the table below a breakdown by type of enterprise (i.e. (I) small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and (II) ‍non-SMEs) and business nature of enterprise (i.e. (a) erection, dismantling and use of truss-out bamboo scaffolds, (b) repair to external walls or pipings, (c) air-conditioning works and (d) interior fitting-out works); the main reasons for rejecting the applications under the Scheme;

    Type of
    enterprisenature of
    enterprise(7) whether it has compiled statistics on the percentage of the number of enterprises approved under the Accreditation Scheme in the total number of enterprises of the same business nature in Hong Kong at present, together with a tabulated breakdown by type of enterprise (i.e. (I) SMEs and (II) non-SMEs) and business nature of enterprise (i.e. (a) erection, dismantling and use of truss-out bamboo scaffolds, (b) repair to external walls or pipings, (c) air-conditioning works and (d) ‍interior fitting-out works); of the measures in place to step up publicity and promotion of the Accreditation Scheme, so as to encourage more enterprises to participate in the Scheme; and

    (8) as there are views that the existing penalties for not taking out labour insurance policies are too light, and some employers may be prompted to take the risk of not taking out labour insurance policies for their employees as required by the law, whether the authorities will consider amending Cap. 282 to raise the relevant penalties, so as to enhance the deterrent effect; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         My reply to the Hon Chau Siu-chung’s question is as follows:
     
    (1) From 2018 to February 2025, the numbers of fatal cases reported under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (ECO) (Cap. 282) and received by the Labour Department (LD) each year, with a breakdown by industry, are at Annex 1.
     
    (2) Among the cases mentioned in (1), 14 employers were prosecuted by the LD for failing to take out employees’ compensation insurance (EC insurance) for their employees as required by the ECO. All the 14 cases were convicted. The details are at Annex 2.
     
    (3) In accordance with the Prosecution Code of the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Secretary for Justice may apply to the court in exceptional cases for the review of a sentence on the basis that it has proceeded on an error of law or of principle or that it is manifestly inadequate or excessive. In general, apart from the factors such as the circumstances of a case, the maximum penalty of an offence and the level of sentence imposed on the offence in the past, the court will also consider a defendant’s guilty plea and mitigations when sentencing. The LD will examine the sentence imposed by the court on each case. If the sentence of an individual case is manifestly inadequate or excessive, or has proceeded on an error of law or of principle, the LD will request the DoJ to consider applying for a review of the sentence. In line with the above principles, the LD has not applied for the review or appeal against the sentence of the convicted cases mentioned in (2). 
    (5) The Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme (ECIRS) serves as a market of last resort to assist employers who cannot procure the EC insurance in the market, with a view to ensuring that employers can acquire the EC insurance. The applications received and approved by the Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme Bureau Limited (ECIRSB) from 2018 to February 2025, with a breakdown by the High Risk Groups, are at Annex 3. During the period, the ECIRSB did not reject any applications submitted by employers.
     
    (6) The LD has collaborated with the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) to launch the OSH Star Enterprise – Repair, Maintenance, Alteration and Addition (RMAA) Safety Accreditation Scheme (Accreditation Scheme) to provide subsidies to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the RMAA sector for purchasing fall prevention devices, assisting them in establishing a safety management system, and offering training on work-at-height safety as well as conducting safety audits. We adopt a multi-pronged approach to enhance the safety standard of relevant enterprises and assist users in identifying those RMAA enterprises with recognised safety standards. According to the OSHC, the number of applications for the Accreditation Scheme and the number of Star Enterprises accredited in the past seven years (up to March 20, 2025) are at Annex 4.
     
         As OSHC has enhanced the OSH Star Enterprise List under the Accreditation Scheme since September 2024 and added the category of “nature of business” (including erection and dismantling of truss-out scaffolding works, repair of external wall and pipe works, air-conditioning works and interior renovation works) to the list, a breakdown by nature of business of the enterprises before the date of enhancement is not available. 
     
         The number of Star Enterprises accredited in 2024-2025 (as at March 20, 2025) is eight. A breakdown of their business nature (Note) is as follows:
     

    Erection and dismantling of truss-out scaffolding works     At present, there are 66 SME Star Enterprises under the Accreditation Scheme and their business nature (Note) is categorised as follows:
     

    Erection and dismantling of truss-out scaffolding worksNote: Accredited Star Enterprise may offer more than one type of business.

    (7) The OSHC does not keep statistics on the percentage of the number of accredited Star Enterprises among the total number of enterprises of the same business nature in Hong Kong, and it does not have a breakdown of the figures by the nature of business of the enterprises.
     
         To enhance the awareness of the RMAA industry and the community at large on the Accreditation Scheme, the LD and the OSHC have been publicising and promoting the Accreditation Scheme through various channels, including promotion on mass media such as television, radio and e-‍newspapers; dissemination of video clips, text and graphic information through social media; and collaboration with the Home Affairs Department and District Councils to promote the Accreditation Scheme to property owners, property management companies, etc, and to educate them on the key points and importance of choosing suitable scaffolding and the RMAA contractors. For newly completed public housing estates and buildings with more the RMAA works, the LD and the OSHC, in collaboration with trade unions, regularly set up information kiosks in the districts to publicise and promote the Accreditation Scheme to community members, owners’ corporations and local organisations. In addition, more than 1 300 organisations have signed the Charter on Preferential Appointment of OSH Star Enterprise, pledging to give priority to Star Enterprises in carrying out RMAA works, so as to encourage more RMAA enterprises to upgrade their safety standards through market force.
     
    (8) In accordance with section 40 of the ECO, no employer shall employ any employee in any employment unless there is in force a policy of insurance to cover his liabilities under the ECO and common law. Employers failing to comply with the ECO to secure an insurance cover are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a maximum fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years. Among the past prosecution cases, there have been cases where the convicted employers were sentenced to imprisonment or with higher levels of fines. 
         The LD will continue to monitor employers’ compliance with the requirement of taking out EC insurance and will consider whether to amend the relevant penalties under the ECO as and when required.
    Issued at HKT 11:45

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ7: Large language models developed in Hong Kong

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by Dr the Hon Johnny Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

    Question:

         It has been reported that the HKGAI V1 large model, which was released in February this year by the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center (HKGAI) funded by the Government’s InnoHK research clusters, is the first large language model generated in Hong Kong based on the full parameter fine-tuning of DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, and continuous training, marking a major breakthrough in the field of local AI. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) whether it knows the development and operating costs of the HKGAI V1 large model, and how such costs compare with the development and operating costs of other similar models;

    (2) as it is learnt that AI technology has been actively applied around the world in recent years, whether the Government has compared the effectiveness of the HKGAI V1 large model with that of the AI large models developed in other regions; if so, of the results;

    (3) as it is learnt that HKPilot (i.e. a generative AI document processing copilot application), which is the large language model version developed by HKGAI, has been put on trial use in more than 70 government departments at present, of its initial effectiveness and the relevant data (e.g. the amount of costs that can be reduced and the extent of benefits that can be enhanced);

    (4) as it is learnt that neighbouring regions (including a number of Mainland cities) have started to deploy DeepSeek large models in the field of government services to create “AI civil servants” to take up some of the work originally undertaken by manpower, how the SAR Government will make use of the HKGAI V1 large model to assist the Government in enhancing government efficiency and reducing manpower expenditure, so as to improve the quality of government services; and

    (5) of the Government’s specific plans and performance targets for realizing the extensive application of the HKGAI VI large model, including (i) the specific timetable for opening up the model for public use, (ii) how it will enrich the application scenarios in the long run so as to apply and popularize the technology, (iii) how it will make the best use of the model to benefit people’s livelihood, and (iv) how it will make use of the model to assist in promoting the upgrading and transformation of Hong Kong’s industry structure?

    Reply:

    President,

         The reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Johnny Ng is as follows:

    (1) and (2) The Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center (HKGAI), set up in 2023 with the funding support of the AIR@InnoHK research cluster focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies, specialises in the research and development (R&D) of generative AI technology, with the goal of building Hong Kong’s self-developed AI foundation models and ecosystem. HKGAI is currently conducting R&D on a series of open-source foundation models, including a local large language model (LLM) and a generative AI document processing copilot application (HKPilot) based on this LLM.

         According to the information provided by HKGAI, its locally developed LLM has been specifically optimised for Hong Kong’s cultural and linguistic environment as well as safety, which enables the LLM to possess not only capabilities similar to other outstanding LLMs in the market, but also excels in handling localised application scenarios.

         The estimates of R&D and operating expenditure of HKGAI is around $235 million. We do not maintain the breakdown related to the development costs of individual models or applications.

    (3) and (4) HKPilot which is now at the R&D stage is mainly used for document processing tasks such as drafting, translation, and summarisation of documents. In order to help HKGAI further train up and optimise its LLM, the Government started using the HKPilot from mid-2024. The Digital Policy Office (DPO) has invited all bureaux and departments (B/Ds) to arrange government personnel of different grades to participate in the pilot programme. Currently, the DPO does not have information related to cost reduction or efficiency improvement from the pilot.

         In February 2025, HKGAI updated its locally developed “HKGAI V1” LLM based on DeepSeek technology, and is integrating the model into the HKPilot to further enhance its document processing capabilities, while allowing pilot use by government staff and collecting their user feedback. The DPO will continue to co-ordinate B/Ds to gradually increase the number of government personnel participating in the pilot programme. In the longer term, the application will help reduce the manpower required for government personnel to handle general document processing tasks, allowing manpower to be deployed to other areas of need.

    (5) As mentioned above, HKGAI is making every effort to optimise its LLM and applications such as HKPilot, and aims to launch to the market a chatbot “HKChat” developed on the basis of its LLM for public use this year. HKGAI will conduct testing on the cybersecurity and stability of related systems before the official launch of HKChat, including inviting third-party experts to conduct audits. On the other hand, HKGAI’s LLM has the potential to develop and support practical applications in other professional fields (such as law and environmental protection). HKGAI will formulate an overall strategy and timetable for releasing the LLM and the applications for use by various sectors in the community.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 2500 KG NARCOTICS SEIZED BY INDIAN NAVY’S MISSION DEPLOYED WARSHIP INS TARKASH

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 02 APR 2025 11:49AM by PIB Delhi

    INS Tarkash, a frontline frigate of the Indian Navy operating under the Western Naval Command, has successfully intercepted and seized over 2500 kg of narcotics in the Western Indian Ocean. This operation underscores the Indian Navy’s unwavering commitment to combating maritime crime and bolstering regional security.

    Deployed in the Western Indian Ocean since Jan 2025 for Maritime Security Operations, INS Tarkash is actively supporting Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, which is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and is based in Bahrain. The ship is participating in the multi-national forces joint focus operation, Anzac Tiger.

    On 31 Apr 25, while on patrol, INS Tarkash received multiple inputs from Indian Navy P8I aircraft, regarding suspicious vessels operating in the area. These vessels were believed to be involved in illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking. In response, the ship altered its course to intercept the suspicious vessels. After systematically interrogating all suspicious vessels in the vicinity, INS Tarkash intercepted and boarded a suspect Dhow, owing to the coordinated efforts with the P8I and the Maritime Operations Centre in Mumbai. Additionally, the ship launched its integral helicopter to monitor the activities of the suspicious vessel and identify other vessels likely operating in the area.

    A specialist boarding team, along with Marine Commandos, boarded the suspect vessel and conducted a thorough search, leading to the discovery of various sealed packets. Further search and interrogation revealed over 2,500 kg of narcotic substances (including 2386 kg of hashish and 121 kg of heroin) stored in different cargo holds and compartments onboard the vessel. The suspicious Dhow was subsequently brought under the control of INS Tarkash, and the crew underwent comprehensive questioning regarding their modus operandi and the presence of other similar vessels in the area.

    This seizure underscores the effectiveness and professionalism of the Indian Navy in deterring and disrupting illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking at sea. The Indian Navy’s participation in multinational exercises aims to promote security, stability, and prosperity across international waters in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

    *****

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ15: Efforts to improve environmental hygiene

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Kingsley Wong and a written reply by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:
     
         The Working Group on Environmental Hygiene and Cityscape led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration steers various bureaux and departments in improving environmental hygiene and street management. However, there are views that the fragmentation of responsibilities among departments (for example, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) is responsible for clearing refuse in rear lanes, while the Transport Department is responsible for handling abandoned motorcycles) and the unclear delineation of enforcement powers and responsibilities (for example, the FEHD and the Highways Department can both clean up graffiti and bills) have undermined the effectiveness of improving environmental hygiene. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) whether it will consider conferring comprehensive enforcement powers on specific government departments to centrally handle environmental hygiene and street management, so as to enhance speed and efficiency; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) as it has been learnt that many problems of hygiene black spots originate from scavengers or street sleepers, whether the government departments keep a systematic record of such people and refer their cases to the Social Welfare Department, charitable organizations or District Services and Community Care Teams, etc for follow-up, so as to tackle problems of hygiene black spots at source;
     
    (3) as some hawker stall operators have relayed to me that the streets stink due to effluent flowing from suspected burst sewers of locked vacant shops near their stalls, and some people also advise that some fenced-off private sites have long been reduced to rubbish dumps fraught with pest and rodent problems, regarding hygiene problems with private premises/sites (especially cases where owners cannot be contacted), apart from applying for a warrant to effect entry into premises from the Court (warrant) to enter such premises, how the authorities handle such cases more expeditiously and effectively; and
     
    (4) of the number of cases in the past three years in which various government departments have applied for warrants from the Court to enter locked/fenced-off private premises/sites to handle hygiene problems, and the respective average duration between the decision of the government departments to take legal actions and the granting of warrants by the Court?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         In consultation with the relevant Bureaux, the reply to the questions raised by the Hon Kingsley Wong is as follows:
     
    (1) Each department handles environmental hygiene and street management issues according to its jurisdiction. This reflects the different function, profession and legal empowerment of each department. Conferring comprehensive enforcement powers on specific Government departments is not practical and will also lead to the problem of excessive span of control. To tackle district environmental hygiene problems that involve various departments and with unclear delineation of responsibilities, the Task Force on District Governance (Task Force) chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration (now renamed as the Working Group on Environmental Hygiene and Cityscape) has already formulated the relevant standard mode of operation, i.e. departments concerned will conduct joint operations in accordance with the clarified division of labour. Successful examples include resolving the problems of shopfront extension and abandoned motorcycles in back alleys. We therefore do not consider it necessary to empower a designated department to carry out comprehensive enforcement.
     
    (2) Scavengers or street sleepers is not merely an environmental hygiene issue. The Government would be caring and reasonable in handling these cases, taking into account individual circumstances in considering whether to take enforcement action and/or to make appropriate referral, so as to strike a balance between maintaining environmental hygiene and handling the matter in a humane manner. Upon receiving public complaints or reports concerning environmental hygiene, the District Office (DO) concerned will review the cases and, where necessary, deploy staff to conduct site inspections and preliminary assessments, and then liaise with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and/or other relevant departments for their prompt follow-up actions. If the hygiene black spots are owing to the behaviour of scavengers or street sleepers, for whom professional follow-up and handling are required to cater for their physical and mental well-being as well as welfare needs, the DO concerned, the FEHD or the relevant department will refer the case to the Social Welfare Department for appropriate support and assistance. 
     
    (3) Owners and occupiers are responsible for maintaining the good hygiene of their private premises. For hygiene problem that occurs in private premises and causes nuisance to others or the general public, the FEHD will provide hygiene education to the occupiers or owners concerned, or order them to rectify the situation according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) (Ordinance). If they fail to comply, the FEHD will carry out prosecution and other follow-up actions. In case of appalling hygiene conditions, the FEHD would consider conducting one-off operation to improve the hygiene situation as soon as possible, and subsequently recover the expenses incurred from the person(s) concerned.
     
         The Government has conducted a comprehensive review of the existing statutory powers and penalties of environmental hygiene-related legislation and is amending the Ordinance and other relevant legislations to enhance the Government’s efficiency, effectiveness and deterrence in handling various environmental hygiene problems. As regards the problem of rodent infestation in private premises, amendments to the Ordinance include raising the penalty for non-compliance with the “Notice of Elimination of Vermin”, to make the persons concerned take timely follow-up action. It is also proposed that the “Notice of Elimination of Vermin” be served on property management companies for their follow-up action to eliminate vermin infestation in the common areas of private premises.
     
    (4) In the past three years (2022 to 2024), the FEHD has successfully obtained 144 warrants from the Court for investigating or handling water seepage cases in buildings and other environmental hygiene cases. The FEHD would generally issue a notice to the occupier or owner concerned before applying for a warrant. However, in urgent circumstance, the FEHD will apply for a warrant from the Court without first issuing a notice. Upon receiving the application, the Court will typically decide on the same day whether to grant the warrant.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ20: Transport connecting two hospitals in Kai Tak

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following is a question by the Hon Yang Wing-kit and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):

    Question: 
    (3) We will explore pedestrian connectivity improvement scheme between the proposed station of the Smart and Green Mass Transit System in Kai Tak and the captioned two hospitals, such as the addition of cover or travellator, on facilities including the existing footpath of the Kai Tak Bridge. In the process, we will have to consider the impact of the improvement scheme on the existing facilities, including relevant carriageways, footpaths and public facilities, and assess the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ10: Enhancing Top Talent Pass Scheme

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Shang Hailong and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:
     
         The Chief Executive announced in the 2024 Policy Address that the initial visa validity period for high-income talents under the Top Talent Pass Scheme (i.e. Category A talents under the Scheme) would be extended from two years to three years (the new measure). However, quite a number of Category A talents have relayed to me that they are doubtful about the application process for extending the validity period, and consider that there is room for improvement in the process. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the specific process for Category A talents to apply for extension of the initial visa validity period to three years under the new measure; whether clear announcements have been made on the relevant application process to facilitate submission of applications by Category A talents;
     
    (2) whether it has plans to enhance the process mentioned in (1), e.g. whether consideration will be given to exempt current visa holders who are Category A talents from submitting applications for extension of stay, or implement the initiative of “one-click application” on the Internet to automatically extend the visa validity period to three years; if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that; and
     
    (3) whether the Government has considered, in approving Category A talents’ applications for extension of stay, granting approval for both the extension of visa validity period normally granted and the extension of an additional one-year under the new measure at the same time (e.g. applicants who meet the requirements will be granted not only extension of visa period for three years under normal circumstances, but also an additional one-year visa period in the light of the new measure, adding up to a total of four years); if so, of the specific details; if not, the reasons for that?

    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         To alleviate the acute manpower shortage, the Government launched the new Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) in end-2022, targeting high-income individuals and top-notch university bachelor’s degree graduates, to trawl for outside quality talents to enrich the local talent pool. The eligibility and assessment criteria of the TTPS are concise and clear. Eligible talents are not required to have secured offers of employment in Hong Kong before applying for visas through the TTPS to explore opportunities in Hong Kong. Yet, upon expiry of the first visas, they will have to be employed or have established/joined in business in Hong Kong so that extension of stay can be granted.
     
         An applicant under Category A of the TTPS is required to have an annual income reaching HK$2.5 million or above in the year immediately preceding the date of application. Since the launch of the TTPS, up to end-February this year, close to 99 000 applicants have been approved, of which over 25 000 are under Category A, accounting for about one-quarter of the total.
     
         Our reply, in consultation with the Immigration Department (ImmD), to the Member’s questions is as follows:
     
         The 2024 Policy Address announced the reform of various aspects of the talent admission regime, including extending the validity period of the first visas of high-income talents under the TTPS from two years to three years. For Category A applicants with approvals given from the day of announcement (i.e. October 16, 2024), the validity period of their first visas has been extended from two years to three years to facilitate their planning to move to Hong Kong with their families. 
     
         The new measure also applies to around 21 000 Category A applicants whose applications were approved before the announcement in the 2024 Policy Address. As announced by the Government through a press release and media briefing on November 1, 2024, these previously approved talents may apply to the ImmD, within three months before the expiry of their limit of stay, for unconditional extension of stay for one year. If they have secured offers of employment, or have established or joined in a business in Hong Kong upon applying for an extension, they may be granted an extension of stay for up to three years after submitting relevant proof. The pattern of their limit of stay is in line with the prevailing arrangement of granting extension of stay of up to three years under most of the talent admission schemes. We have no plan to change it.
     
         The ImmD, before granting an extension of stay, has to ensure the relevant person’s compliance with the normal immigration requirements, including holding a valid travel document for return to his/her country of residence or citizenship. Hence, Category A applicants are required to submit applications to the ImmD for extension of stay. Applicants only need to submit their applications through the platform on the ImmD’s website, providing basic information and uploading valid travel documents. The procedures are very simple and convenient.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ1: Pet-friendly policy

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a reply by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
     
    Question:
     
         There are views that the existing legislation has impeded the development potential of Hong Kong’s pet industry, and there is still substantial room for improvement in the pet-friendly policy of Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) given that in the reply to a question from a Member of this Council on June 12 last year, the Government indicated that it would conduct research on practices and experiences in other places regarding bringing dogs into food premises and consider reviewing the existing legislation, of the progress and details of the relevant work, including whether it will establish a licensing regime for pet-friendly food premises and devise supporting insurance solutions, open up outdoor dining areas for entry of pets on a trial basis, and implement a tiered access system based on the size of food premises, indoor and outdoor space, or types of dog; 
    President, 
         On the questions raised by the Hon Maggie Chan, I would like to reply to the question as follows: 
         The society is divided over this subject. On the one hand, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has from time to time received complaints about certain food premises allowing customers who bring pet dogs inside, expressing concerns on pet dogs entering restaurants. On the other hand, in recent years, there are views in society hoping to bring along pet dogs to dine in food premises.
     
         The Government needs to take into account different factors when considering whether to relax certain restrictions on pet dogs entering food premises, including public health, the operating environment of food premises and social acceptance. The Environment and Ecology Bureau, together with the FEHD, are conducting research on practices and experiences in other places, and would carefully consider whether there is room for relaxing the relevant restrictions. 
         Considering the widespread use of ISO microchips in many other countries and regions, to further facilitate the movements of dogs into and out of Hong Kong, the AFCD has completed a feasibility study and proposed to introduce ISO microchips in addition to the existing AVID microchips. The AFCD has consulted relevant stakeholders, including licensed animal traders, animal welfare organisations, pet transport agents, veterinary clinics and animal-related organisations on the proposal, and the trade is generally supportive. The Government expects to consult the relevant Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on the proposal in the second quarter of this year. If the proposal is supported by the Panel, the Government will introduce the proposed amendments to the relevant subsidiary legislation into the LegCo in due course. 
         The AFCD classifies places into different groups according to different risk of rabies, with reference to information about the surveillance of animal diseases from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Group I includes rabies-free places (i.e. where rabies has been absent for a long time); Group II includes places where rabies cases are few and under effective control. Since Groups I and II places are considered of lower risk of rabies, cats and dogs imported from these places are exempted from quarantine upon fulfilling relevant requirements (such as providing Animal Health Certificate, Residence Certificate and Anti-rabies Vaccination Certificate). Furthermore, Group IIIA includes places that do not meet the requirements of Group II but have satisfactory regulation of veterinary services and official controls on health certification; whereas Group IIIB includes places where rabies cases are reported and not under effective control. In general, places that do not meet the requirements of Group I, II, or IIIA (or their situations cannot be determined) will be included in Group IIIB. Since the incubation period of rabies can be up to several months, to prevent the transmission of rabies into Hong Kong, the AFCD requires a quarantine period of no less than 120 days for the cats and dogs imported from Group IIIB places.
     
         Group IIIA has been introduced since December 2024 to facilitate animal owners in bringing their pet cats and dogs to Hong Kong. The quarantine period for cats and dogs of the relevant places will be significantly shortened from the current 120 days to 30 days upon their arrival in Hong Kong, provided that they meet the relevant quarantine requirements including that the animals must be vaccinated against rabies, have a satisfactory rabies neutralising antibody titre test and have an animal health certificate issued or endorsed by a government veterinary officer of the place of export. The AFCD has proactively contacted some Group IIIB places which do not meet the requirements of Group II but have satisfactory regulation of veterinary services and official controls on health certification to discuss the relevant quarantine arrangements and, upon reaching an agreement, to include them in Group IIIA to shorten the quarantine period for dogs and cats upon arrival in Hong Kong. Among Group IIIA places, the Macao Special Administrative Region has implemented the new arrangements since December last year. On extending the new arrangement to other cities of the Greater Bay Area, the AFCD is actively discussing the details of the arrangement with the relevant Mainland authorities with a view to implement the new arrangement as soon as possible.
     
         The current arrangement of a 30-day quarantine period for Group IIIA places is formulated with reference to the risk assessment conducted by the expert consultant in light of the actual situation in Hong Kong. The AFCD will continue to make close reference to the latest situation of animal diseases published by the WOAH and timely review whether the relevant quarantine requirements can be enhanced in the light of factors such as operational experience, views of stakeholders and risk assessment.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –