Innovations In Pakistan

1- Easy Paisa:
Easy paisa seized an attractive market opportunity to deliver mobile money innovations in Pakistan. Easy paisa, a mobile money service in Pakistan, serves more than five million customers a month through 25,000 points of service. By end 2012, it had processed more than 100 million transactions with a throughput of more than US$ 1.4 billion. With a population of 180 million and only 15% bank penetration in 2008. Three important innovations emerge from the Easy paisa story. First, Easy paisa was launched from a unique corporate structure. Telenor Pakistan, a mobile network operator (MNO) acquired a 51% ownership stake in Tameer Bank, a microfinance bank, and then established Easypaisa as a common organization across the two companies. Second, Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Bank introduced over-the-counter (OTC) mobile money services an entirely new model that did not require registration or use of aeWallet. And third, Easy paisa achieved rapid national expansion by relying exclusively on its existing GSM distribution structure. To learn more about the innovative corporate structure underpinning Easypaisa, the levels of investment at launch, the pros and cons of the OTC model, the tactics utilised for rapidly building a national distribution and how Easypaisa maintains quality in their channel.

2-Water supply and sanitation in Pakistan:

Drinking water supply and sanitation in Pakistan is characterized by some achievements and many challenges. Despite high population growth the country has increased the share of the population with access to an improved water source from 85% in 1990 to 92% in 2010, although this does not necessarily mean that the water from these sources is safe to drink. The share with access to improved sanitationincreased from 27% to 48% during the same period, according to the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation. There has also been considerable innovation at the grass-root level, in particular concerning sanitation. The Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi andcommunity-led total sanitation in rural areas are two examples of such innovation. A number of innovative sanitation approaches have been piloted in Pakistan. These include participatory sanitation infrastructure projects - such as the Orangi Pilot Project in urban slums in the 1980s and the Lodhran Pilot Project in rural areas since 1999 - as well as Community-led total sanitation (CLTS) projects implemented since 2003.

3-PSF promoting technological innovation:

A practical demonstration of using water as a fuel to run the vehicles was held at Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), here Tuesday. The demonstration was given by Agha Waqar Ahmed Khan, a Khairpur-based Mechanical Engineer, who was invited by the PSF under its Invention and Innovation Support Program to encourage such activities for promotion of science and technology in the country. PSF Chairman Prof DrManzoor H Soomro, senior officers of PSF and some other scientific organizations were present at the demonstration. Agha Waqar said he has developed a kit, which can be fitted with engine to run it on water as fuel and the engine needs no alteration at all.

He claimed that his device fitted vehicle will give a mileage of 40 kilometers per liter water and a bike will give mileage of 150 kilometers per liter water. The mechanical engineer said he wanted guidance for governmental approval to manufacture the kit on commercial basis and market it to overcome the growing energy crisis in the country.

4-Unilever launches Pureit Water Purifier in Pakistan:

With a mission to improve and protect the lives of Pakistanis, Unilever Pakistan launched Pureit, a unique home based water purification device that uses Unilever proprietary technology to provide safe and clean water without the use of electricity or gas. Karachi, November 04, 2013: With a mission to improve and protect the lives of Pakistanis, Unilever Pakistan launched Pureit, a unique home based water purification device that uses Unilever proprietary technology to provide safe and clean water without the use of electricity or gas. The PureitExcella device was unveiled by Ehsan Malik Chairman and CEO, Unilever Pakistan Limited (UPL), FariyhaSubhani Director Marketing Foods, UPL and Dr Tariq MehmoodMian, Director, Association of Family Physicians of Pakistan at the event which was well attended by senior representatives of various private and non-profit sector organizations.

5-Aga Khan award for Architecture celebrates green innovation:

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony was recently held at the Castle of Sao Jorge in Lisbon, where five environment-friendly buildings from different countries, mostly

Islamic, received awards from AnbalCavaco Silva, President of the Portuguese Republic and His Highness, the Aga Khan. According to a press release, the five winning projects include the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Khartoum, Sudan; Revitalization of Birzeit Historic Centre in Birzeit, Palestine; Rabat-Sal Urban Infrastructure Project in Morocco; Rehabilitation of Tabriz Bazaar in Tabriz, Iran and the Islamic Cemetery in Attach, Austria. The Award was established back in 1977 and is given every three years. It recognizes all types of building projects that affect todays built environment from modest, small-scale projects to sizable complexes. According to one of the recipients, the Awards mandate is different from that of many other architecture prizes as it selects projects that not only exhibit architectural excellence but also improve the overall quality of life from innovative mud and bamboo schools to state of the art green buildings. Like previous award-holders, this years recipients also have a story behind their existence. For example the Islamic cemetery in Austria was built as a result of a movement by NGO to allow funeral rights to Muslims in Austria. It is inspired by garden design and features roseate concrete walls, five staggered rectangular gravesite enclosures and a structure housing assembly and prayer rooms. The principal materials used were exposed reinforced concrete for the walls and oak wood for the ornamentation of the entrance facade and the interior of the prayer space.

6-Airblue Airline Innovative e ticketing:

Airblue is an emerging quality career from Pakistan. Airblue started it operation in Pakistan with domestic flight in 2004, airblue's fleet of next-generation Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft started operating with a unique offer of airfares based on time of booking. This was a unique and innovative idea. Many big airlines of the world had not started online reservation back in 2004 when airblue started sand jacket online airline tickets. Airblue has integrated unique innovations to ensure security and affordability. Among these are complete online reservation systems, online reservation hold/in person payment at various locations, and mobile airport check in procedures. Airblue besides its innovative eticketing has also achieved following recognition.

First airline in Pakistan to start e-ticketing. First airline in Pakistan and only the third carrier in the region after Emirates and Royal Jordanian to introduce self-service check-in facilities. First private airline in Pakistan to initiate long-haul services on (IslamabadManchester) sector. AirblueeTicketing Karachi is the hub for most of Airblue's domestic operations Airblue was the first airline in Pakistan to introduce e-ticketing, wireless check-in and self-check-in kiosk facilities. The airline also became a member of Sabre system that is used by over a hundred airlines to help it with ticket automation service.